His Living Doll
by PhantomGypsy13
Summary: After the failed attempt of bringing reanimated corpses back to life on the Campania, Undertaker has been longing to make another beautiful stitched-up creation. When a body of an unclaimed girl falls into his possession, he decides that she is his next experiment. The result? Say hello to Annabeth Phoenix.
1. His Experiment

Adrian Crevan was extremely bored in his funeral parlor. Business had been slow recently and the few customers he did have didn't require much of him. All his customers died naturally with no stitching or anything of the sort needed. That was his favorite part of his job, but without such a messy highlight, he grew weary. All he did all day was clean his parlor, pretty up his customers, bake his bone-shaped biscuits and eat them, and pretty much anything else to alleviate his boredom. That's the life of an Undertaker, but for days like these, he sometimes wished he kept his old job, but he knew he never wanted to return to that.

Soon, the little bell rang in his shop and he walked from the back room to the front to see who entered. He giggled as he saw two officers from Scotland Yard bring in a body on a tray covered by a grey blanket. "Oh goodie, a customer!"

"This poor girl was found on the streets in Whitechapel. She was stabbed thirteen times in her chest and neck, but we have no leads to who killed her," one officer said as they set the tray down on top of a coffin.

"We don't even know who she is. We have no leads to her identity," the other said as they removed the blanket, revealing a girl in a bloody mess. She had blonde hair that flowed past her shoulders, but it was stained with the blood from her neck. She wore a puffy light green dress that looked great on her if it wasn't stained with her red blood, but it complimented the color perfectly.

"My, what a beautiful sight I see," he said, making the two officers look at him with disgust in their eyes. Only he would view such a gruesome sight remotely beautiful. They already knew the man was crazy, but were never warned how morbid he could be. He saw their faces and grinned before he offered the two men some biscuits, but they kindly declined, mainly fearing their health. "Is there anyone who wants her beautiful body to rot in the ground?"

"Actually, no. We've asked people in the area if they knew her, but no one said they did. We brought her here hoping that an announcement of her funeral would bring someone's attention."

"Then why bury such a pretty thing? Her creamy skin will be covered with dirt and no one will be there to enjoy its purity," he said with a grin.

"We . . . We're just following orders," the officer said as the two of them awkwardly left the shop, leaving Undertaker alone with the body. He looked at the girl again and smiled. Finally, a customer he can put time and effort into. He got to work, changing her bloodstained clothes to something less . . . gaudy, wiping the blood off her wounds, putting embalming cream on her body, and stitching the open wounds closed. Her put lipstick on her plump lips and put powder to cover any blemishes on her face, but to his surprise, there were none.

"Hmm," he said as he placed his finger on his chin. "Why would I put such a little thing in the ground for no reason? The only things that would care for her are the worms and maggots penetrating her skin." Still, he placed her body in a coffin in a cold room and waited for someone to claim the body. He didn't want to host a funeral if no one was going to attend. Her beauty should be broadcasted one more time before it disappeared forever in the ground. However, before he left her alone, he thought he might as well learn her name. He looked around his shop and found his Death Scythe stored in the secret room in the back. He walked to the girl and luckily for him, her soul was still with her. How is that possible? Didn't those Grim Reapers make it their mission to collect souls as soon as possible? Well, regardless, he still examined her Cinematic Record and saw the life she lived.

Her name was Mary Welch, a name Adrian found very dull, and she was a middle-class young lady. Her parents raised her to be a proper woman, hoping that she could find a rich man to marry, but her feelings were ignored. Only a few years ago, she was asked to marry a nobleman, but her heart belonged to another: a baker. She tried to refuse his proposal, but her parents forced her to marry the nobleman, who only used her as a trophy wife. Despite being married, he never touched her since he had his concubines and prostitutes for such an act. After two years of an unhappy marriage, she decided to run away to find the baker, but she learned that he married someone else as well. She was so distraught by the discovery and decided to spend the rest of her life without loving anyone. However, that life was shortened as a stranger in dark clothing sporadically stabbed her, killing her in the streets.

"Unfortunate, yes, but . . . ," he said as he finally collected the soul. "Nothing worthwhile."

Soon, night fell and Undertaker retreated to his room upstairs for the night. The next day passed. Two days. Three. Soon, it was morning of the fourth day and no one still had claimed the body. Not even a Grim Reaper attempted to claim her soul. Each day, in between customers, he had to make sure that the girl wasn't decomposing and continuously placed embalming cream on her. However, he was getting impatient. "Our fair maiden has no one to take her," he said to himself. "That's a shame. She was someone's daughter, friend, and much more, but no one is willing to see her after death? How unfortunate. She looks more beautiful now than ever." Night fell on the fourth day and he was about to retreat to his room, but before he did, he made sure to put more cream on the body. However, he realized too late that he ran out and it was too late to get some more. If she wasn't taken care of, she would slowly decompose overnight, permanently damaging the flawless skin. The idea seemed to be unbearable for him. As he pondered what to do, an idea crossed his mind. He remembered a certain little event that got him in major trouble with the Reaper Association: the Campania incident, where he and some gullible nobles created his bizarre dolls, as he called it. However, the experiment failed miserably as the dolls began killing everyone they encountered. Though, he found the creatures beautiful and flawless, but they were destroyed by the Queen's guard dog and his exceptional butler. He still held a grudge about that, but things simmered down over time. After all, Ciel still requested information out of him and he wanted laughs, knowing Sebastian was the only one who could provide the best ones.

"Surely no one will notice if she's buried in the ground," Adrian said as he looked at the corpse and giggled. "Or walking amongst the living." He picked up the body and carried it to one of the back rooms. He then laid it in a coffin as he put contraptions on her fingers, chest, head, and legs. He then walked to a mystery thing covered by a black blanket and pulled it off, revealing the machine that once brought people back to life. Luckily for him, those foolish nobles provided funds to create multiples of the device that supposedly brought the dead back to life, but he made a few tweaks to the machine since the Campania incident. Why did he ever think it was a good idea to leave humans in charge of something as precious as a soul? No wonder it got corrupted. Luckily, that's what Grim Reapers are for. With a flip of a switch, he sent electric shocks into her body, causing her to fidget and move. After a while, he turned off the machine, walked over to her, and held out his Death Scythe releasing the Cinematic Record into her body. The major flaw of the bizarre dolls were that they didn't have their souls, or at least, the Cinematic Records he provided weren't the originals, so they craved souls and the only way they knew how to obtain one was to steal it from the living. Soon, the soul was placed back into her body and he waited to see what happened. He was curious how this would turn out; he never had the chance to have both soul and body with him to experiment with. He was hoping that it would work, but even he had his doubts.

Soon, the body began to move on its own and Undertaker helped the girl climb out of the coffin. Her body seemed to have returned its color and her hair regained its lush and shine. Her lips were chapped, but he could fix that with some lip balm. Her nails were the only indicator that she wasn't really alive with its brownish-green color, but he could fix that with some nail polish. She didn't open her eyes yet, but she managed to get out and stand on her two legs . . . for a few seconds. Soon, she fell to the ground and he made sure she was all right. "Be careful where you step, dearie," he said. Though, he noticed her eyes were still closed and sighed. "You might be able to stand better if you open your eyes."

"Ngh," she muttered before she put her hands to her still closed eyes, touching them rather roughly. "E . . . Eye . . . s," she said slowly.

"Yes, dearie," he said gently. What was wrong with her? True, she is a reanimated corpse brought back to life, soul and all, but she was acting . . . weird. Though, he was relieved she wasn't trying to bite his neck off.

"D-Dea . . . rie," she repeated. Soon, she managed to open her eyes, revealing a perfect combination of blue and green. She didn't have cloudy pupils like the other dolls, much to his relief. With the others, he had to put blindfolds on their eyes to hide the clouded eyes. She looked around the place before noticing the dark-dressed man next to her. She only stared at him, almost entranced by what she was looking at, but it was more out of curiosity than attraction. "Eye . . . s."

"Very good, you've opened your eyes. Can you walk?"

"W . . . alk?" she repeated, unclear by what he meant.

He sighed as he said, "Here, let me help you." Soon, he held on to her as he helped he get up on her feet. He then steadily guided her forward, trying to make her legs move, but she wasn't figuring out what he was doing. "You've got to move your legs," he said in an annoyed tone. He was hoping she would be like herself before she died, but she acted more like an adult baby. Granted, the other dolls were the same, but in little time, they were able to walk. He did not have time to teach her everything all over again. Actually . . . that could work in his favor.

"Le . . . gs," she said as she looked down to her feet. She began to wiggle them, as if that would help her walk, and proceeded to walk forward, but if he wasn't holding her, she would have fallen again.

"It's all right, dearie. Just take it one step at a time."

"Ti . . . mme," she repeated as she proceeded to walk again, a little more successful this time, but she heavily depended on him.

"You don't have to repeat everything I say, darling," he said in a slightly annoyed tone. It was cute at first, but it was getting annoying pretty fast.

"Dar . . . lll . . . ing," she said, making him sigh in annoyance.

"All right, let's get you to bed," he said as he put her back in the coffin he just pulled her out of. "Stay here and go to sleep," he said.

"Sl . . . eep," she said as he forcefully covered her eyes with his hand, hoping that she would close her eyes. Luckily for him, it worked; she was asleep.

"Oh boy," he said as he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. He wiped his face with his hand as he said to himself, "I honestly thought that she would be a lot more . . . mature, especially since she has her own soul, but . . . she is just like a child!" This experiment was not so much of a success as he anticipated. True, she looked more alive than the bizarre dolls, but mentally, she was no better than them. If he knew she would be like that, he probably wouldn't have proceeded with the experiment. Maybe she'll be a fast learner, but he thought that would be a stretch. She couldn't talk normally or even walk! He decided that it was enough for tonight and proceeded to his bedroom for some well-deserved sleep.

* * *

 ** _Clang. Crash. Bam._** Those noises echoed throughout the parlor, waking Adrian up. He was a heavy sleeper, meaning that the noises had to be pretty loud in order to wake him up. "God damn girl," he said as he removed the blankets off him. He then proceeded to put his black robes on and left the room without putting on his shoes or hat. As he walked down the stairs, he noticed the mess his little experiment had made; broken glass, open cabinets, and spilled fluids. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" he asked in an angry tone. She stopped in her tracks as she saw him, looking scared at the man before her. So, she managed to walk to the front of the shop without him? Either that or she leaned on things all the way here.

She pointed at her mouth as she said, "Hun . . . gry."

He sighed as he said, "At this time of night?" She nodded. "Wait here," he said as he left her side to find the jar of biscuits he left in the back room at night. So, she could understand him now. Wait . . . is she already learning? He didn't say anything regarding hunger or food earlier, so the fact she knew what the word 'hunger' was along with answering his question meant she might possibly . . . be gaining back her memory. However, that idea was soon shattered as she asked, "N-Na . . . mme?"

"Name?"

"Y-Yes," she said.

"My name is Adrian," he said as he handed her a biscuit, which she took from his hand and quickly ate.

"A . . . dri . . . an," she repeated.

"Yes, but most of my customers call me the Undertaker," he said with a giggle. She smiled too as she took another biscuit from his hand.

"Mine?"

"Your name? Don't you know, dearie?"

She shook her head, but asked, "Dearie?"

"No, that's not your name. Your name is Ma-," he said before stopping himself. So, she doesn't know who she is, but she has picked up on essential things, like eating and walking. She remembered milestones, but not details. In other words, she was a blank slate that could be molded into anything. After all, he hated the name Mary Welch for such a beauty that she became, so why not change a few things? He smiled as he said, "Annabeth. Your name is Annabeth Phoenix."

"Ann . . . a . . . beth," she repeated and smiled. "I . . . like . . . that."

Undertaker almost wanted to congratulate her for saying her first real sentence, but had to keep his composure. He would frighten the poor girl if he didn't. "Still hungry?"

"Yes," she said more clearly. "More please." She knew manners too? Oh, she is a fast learner, much to his relief.

"Of course," he said as he fed her biscuits throughout the night.

* * *

Throughout the week, Adrian shaped Annabeth into a lovely little assistant for his funeral parlor. He only had to teach her how to prepare bodies for funerals and to clean the parlor. He didn't want to teach her anything too complicated like managing the parlor if he should ever be away since he thought it would be too hard for her. After all, she was only a week old. Despite that, she was speaking perfectly, moving elegantly, and comprehending everything a normal human would. She was a success after all, much to his relief. However, he had to teach her one thing: no one must see the scars on her body, mainly her neck. If they did, they would grow suspicious of her, like everyone was toward him. Therefore, he gave her a purple scarf to hide them in case she had to work in the front shop and told her to constantly wear it. However, to his surprise, he was surprised how well she was taking the fact that she is a reanimated human and the scars were the only signs of it.

One day, however, they heard the bell rang in the front of his shop, followed by a young voice saying, "Undertaker, are you here?"

"Oh, what a surprise. If it isn't the young lord and master butler," he greeted as Ciel and Sebastian entered the shop. "What may I have the pleasure of assisting you with today?"

"We are hoping you might give us information on a missing person. Does the name Mary Welch ring a bell?" Ciel asked. Adrian's eyes widened at the name, but it couldn't be seen through his bangs. However, before he could answer, Annabeth walked into the front with a tray of biscuits in her hand and proceeded to put them in a jar as if the duo weren't there. Adrian was almost scared that she showed herself, especially in front of the two people who had traumatizing experiences with the bizarre dolls, but was relieved to see that they didn't seem to make that connection, especially since she was wearing her scarf. Ciel chuckled as he said, "I didn't realize you were the type to hire pretty little things."

"Why, my lord, do you think so badly of me? I'm an old man and once in a while, I need extra hands to help me. Therefore, I hired this fair maiden to help me around the shop. Young lord, master butler, I would like to introduce you to Ms. Annabeth Phoenix," he said as he pulled her close to him, almost like a man would when introducing his lover.

"Nice to meet you," she said sweetly.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Sebastian said with a bow.

"Indeed, but we didn't come here to make acquaintances. You haven't answered me, Undertaker, does the name Mary Welch sound familiar to you," Ciel asked again.

"You know my price, my lord," he said with a wicked grin.

"We don't have time for this," Ciel said rather angrily.

"Then I won't give you your answer. It's only a laugh, my lord; it's not that hard to pay."

"Perhaps we should inform our Reaper associates of your whereabouts," Ciel said with a cocky tone. "I'm sure they would be _very_ happy to speak with you after the Campania incident."

Undertaker scoffed as he said, "You don't play fair anymore, my lord. How long are you going to use that blackmail?"

"As long as it takes."

"Very well, then. No, the name itself doesn't sound familiar, but I do remember a little lady being carried into my shop a few days ago. Pretty little thing looked well in red," he said with a grin.

"Was it her?"

"I don't know for sure. No one ever claimed her body, so I buried her in a pretty field covered in daffodils," he said with a giggle. "If I may, my lord, would you kindly explain more about her?"

"Well, Ms. Mary Welch wasn't born into nobility, but was married to it instead. However, about two years ago, she ran away from the noble life and we have a lead saying she could have possibly be living in this area because of a certain old flame," Sebastian explained, but suddenly got a strong whiff in the air. Something wasn't right here.

"Oh, the dearie couldn't handle being the wife of a nobleman? What a shame."

"Her husband, Lord Kelvin Montague, has asked the Phantomhives for help in finding his wife since the Montagues and Phantomhives have been close friends for many generations."

"Do you have any idea to what she looked like? If the girl really did run away, then I'm sure she would have changed her name as well," Undertaker stated.

"I suppose you're right, but we have no recent photograph of her. All we have is a portrait from her wedding day," Ciel said as he pulled it out of a messenger bag and handed it to him. Adrian quickly examined the photo and was relieved to see that the woman in the picture only slightly resembled his dear Annabeth, even though they were the exact same person. This woman had brunette hair, probably because she dyed her hair for her husband, and although the eyes were similar, the expression wasn't. The woman in the portrait was displaying a fake smile while Annabeth always had a genuine cheery expression on her face, which made him giggle every time he saw it.

"Hmm, I don't believe I have encountered this woman or had her in my shop," he said as he tried to hand back the portrait, but was stopped.

"Perhaps Ms. Phoenix knows," Sebastian asked with a slight grin.

Adrian was uncomfortable with the suggestion, but handed the portrait to her anyway. "Do you recognize this woman?" he asked.

She looked at it closely. At first, she seemed to know who it was, but shook her head. "Nope, haven't seen her."

"Well then, at least we know she isn't dead. Thank you, Undertaker," Ciel said as he headed out the shop. "Let's go, Sebastian."

"Certainly," he responded as he followed his young master outside the shop, but not before glaring at Annabeth. Something wasn't right.

In the carriage, Ciel rode with Sebastian, but he had a contemplating look on his face. What was he thinking? He had an idea and asked, "Do you think he is lying."

"He may have never encountered Mary Welch, but Annabeth Phoenix is very suspicious to me," Sebastian said.

"Do you think that she is Mary Welch in disguise and Undertaker doesn't know it?"

"Oh, he would know if a runaway was working for him. He has ways of knowing. . . . ,"

"What are you hinting at," Ciel asked impatiently. He didn't like being left in the dark.

"That parlor . . . had a strong scent of death."

"Well, of course! It's a funeral parlor and he is a Grim Reaper."

"If I may continue, my lord, I was saying that it didn't just smell of death; it _reeked_ of it."

"Maybe he has a body prepared for an upcoming funeral."

"Possibly, or he has one walking around."

Ciel's eye widened as he said, "You're not saying that . . . ,"

"Yes, but unlike the ones we encountered on that cruise liner, this one seems to be a successful reanimated corpse."


	2. Her First Kiss

It has been two weeks since Adrian brought life back to Annabeth Phoenix. He loved how she was not only alive, but also continued to live as if she never died. The only thing missing was her memory, but he thought it was for the better; Mary was such a miserable woman who rarely smiled, but Annabeth was always filled with glee and smiles. She managed to put a smile on his face every time he saw her. It seemed that nothing could make her unhappy. She was just his little living doll with a permanent smile on her face.

Annabeth and Adrian were checking inventory of the shop, making sure that they had everything fully stocked. He did have all the things he needed for the job, such as embalming fluid and makeup, but he was lacking in some things. "I'm afraid we're running low on flour. If we don't buy some soon, we won't be making any freshly baked biscuits for a while," he told her as he looked through his cabinets close to the oven.

"Oh dear," she said as she looked in the cabinet as well. "Well, let's go buy some now. We don't have any customers to attend to."

"True, but I don't want to leave the shop unattended in case new customers arrive. Can you go pick them up for me?"

"Oh, sure," she said cheerfully. He wrote down a list of things for her to gather while she hurriedly looked for her purple scarf up in her room upstairs, which was just the same room with the machine and coffin. He didn't need to make another room for her since she didn't mind sleeping there. Even the coffin, which he thought would be uncomfortable, was actually comfy for her. Maybe it was because she didn't know what an actual bed felt like or was too polite to say otherwise. He has offered to buy her a bed in the past, but she respectfully declined it, saying she didn't need one. When Annabeth returned downstairs with her scarf around her neck, he handed her the list and she was about to go out the door, but she stopped herself. With a worried face, she asked, "C-Can you accompany me?"

"What is the matter, dearie?" Adrian asked, noticing the change in her tone.

"It's just . . . I've never been outside the shop. I wouldn't know where to go."

"It's a small grocery store a couple blocks down the street. You can't miss it. They display fresh fruit in the front."

"But . . . ," she said, not knowing the exact words to say. "I . . . I would be terribly lonely." He arched his eyebrows at the statement, but giggled.

"Tell you what: I'll accompany you to the store, but I'll leave you there to return to the shop. Like I said, I can't be gone for too long, so I would have to return as soon as possible. I'm sure you can make your way back if I guided you there."

"All right," she said with a nod as she waited for the silver-haired man to make his way to her. Before leaving, he put a sign on the window of his shop saying, " _CLOSED_ ". He then held his arm out for her to take, just like a gentleman should. She smiled at the gesture as she wrapped her arm around him. He even opened the door for her and she walked out, but covered her face as the sun's rays blessed her skin for the first time. His shop was always a dark place, so she needed to adjust to the light, but he provided her with a dark purple parasol which he got the same time he bought her scarf.

"You might need it, dearie," he said as he opened it and handed it to her. Annabeth giggled at the gesture and the two headed out to the market. On the way, she noticed all the different sights she never saw before: birds flying in the air, children playing in the streets with their Funtom toys, women chatting in cafés, and so much more. She felt the breeze kiss her skin for the first time and she shivered a bit, alarming Adrian, but he soon smiled. She really was a virgin to the world, just like a little child traveling to the city for the first time. He should take her out more often and go see all the sights that London has to offer. She smelled all the delicious foods from bakeries, cafés, and other places, making her stomach growl. He laughed as he said, "I see that you are hungry."

She nodded as she said, "Maybe one day, you can take me to one of these places?"

"Are you growing weary of my biscuits already?" he said with a grin.

"No, but I want to try a lot of things. Everything smells so delicious!"

"Maybe one day," he said as they proceeded to walk down the street. She kept admiring all the different sights she never had seen before and just let it all sink it. She just wished she could stay out here longer with Adrian, but he had to return as soon as possible. She wished she could change his mind, but once he had his mind on something, it was hard to change it. After some time, she noticed that some people were looking at her, but they had curious looks on their faces. At first, she didn't mind, but she saw some of them whisper to each other and point at her. She wondered if any of them somehow saw her scars and checked to see if they scarf was still there. Undertaker noticed the people staring at them and then saw her nervous face as she checked her scarf. He eased her by saying, "They can't see your scars, dearie."

"Then why are they staring?" she asked.

He giggled as he said, "It's because they've never seen an old man like me accompany a woman as beautiful as you."

She blushed at the compliment. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"Of course; you have a unique beauty like no other woman I have ever met. Why else would I bring you back to see such beauty live again?"

She laughed as she said, "Oh you!" She put her head on his arm and he smiled.

Soon, the two of them reached the market and she let go of his arm, knowing he had to go back. However, before he did, he gave her some money for her to buy the items. "You know how to get back, don't you?" he asked. She nodded. "All right then. I'll be waiting for you," he said as he headed back to the shop. Annabeth was a little nervous being alone in this new world, but she put on a determined face and headed inside the shop. It took her a while, but she found everything listed on the list and proceeded to pay, but before she could, she accidentally bumped into someone, dropping all the items on the floor. "I-I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going," she said frantically as she bent down to gather the items.

"It's quite all right. I'm partly to blame," a low voice said as he helped her gather them. He handed her the bag of flour and she soon saw the gloved hands that looked awfully familiar. She looked up the arm and found herself looking into those crimson eyes that belonged to the man she met earlier.

"Oh, m-master butler! I-I-I didn't know it was you," she said with shock in her voice, nearly dropping everything again, but he caught anything that slipped out of her hands.

"Please, call me Sebastian," he said with a wicked grin. "Only the Undertaker calls me by that name, but I don't understand why he does."

"He respects you and the young lord. He finds calling you by your first name disrespectful."

He chuckled at the thought. "Either that or he fears me."

"Why would he fear you?"

"Let's just say that he and I have a long history together, but enough about him. What are you doing here, Ms. Phoenix?"

"I-I was just buying some things for Ad-Undertaker," she said as she checked her list one more time, checking to see if she had everything they needed. "Yep, I've got everything."

"Well, I'm sure you would like some help taking these back to the shop. Why don't I help you," he said as they walked together to the register.

"Oh, it's all right, Sebastian. I'll be fine," she said as she paid the amount needed.

"No, I insist," he said, but saw the cashier put everything in one bag and handed it to Annabeth.

"I'm fine, but thank you. It was nice seeing you again," she said as she took the bag and started heading back to the parlor, but he stopped her.

"I think there is no shame of me escorting you back. I'm afraid something bad might happen to you if you walked back by yourself."

"Oh, well . . . I guess you have a point," she said. She was very unfamiliar to this environment and now he gave her the impression that this new world would be unsafe for her if she went out alone. He smiled as he took the bag from her hand and carried it while also offering his arm for her to hold. She was reluctant, but held onto his arm. The two started walking back to the shop, but he made sure that he took his time.

"So, how long have you been working for the Undertaker, Ms. Phoenix?"

"It's been two weeks now. My, time sure flies by fast," she said as she marveled the sights yet again.

"And how did you get the job anyway? I've always known that man as being a lone wolf that wouldn't let anyone work for him."

"Well, he is a very kind man and an interesting one too. He let me work with him when I had nowhere else to go," she lied. She was told by Adrian that if anyone asked that question, she would have to use that line to throw off suspicion. If she were to say that she was a living corpse, it would either confuse or terrify anyone who asked.

"You must be very special for him to let you work for him," he said as he smelled the air. "Mm, there must be a new bakery open on this street."

She sniffed the air and she smiled, "Oh, it smells lovely!"

"Why don't we grab a quick bite to eat? I'm sure the Undertaker won't mind if you're a little late," he said with a wicked grin.

"Well . . . ," she said, looking toward the direction of the funeral parlor, but he turned her face away so that she was looking straight into his eyes.

"I'm sure that a woman like you couldn't say no to a delicious crêpe," he said almost seductively. She gulped at his touch and words, but looked inside the bakery, nearly salivating due to the delicious smell in the air. "That's what I thought." He then guided her to the bakery and ordered two strawberry crêpes. Annabeth was about to pay for hers, but he stopped her. "Please, allow me," he said as he paid for them both. She smiled at the gesture and they both sat down to eat. He didn't seem to eat much out of his, but he laughed as he saw her try the pastry for the first time. She was unsure how to eat it, but thanks to her subconscious table manners, she knew how to properly eat it. She tasted every sweet bite and marveled in its deliciousness.

"Mm, this is so good! I have to take Undertaker here some time," she said as she finished the crêpe rather quickly. He noticed there was some strawberry juice on her lip and chuckled as he pulled out a handkerchief to clean it off. She was surprised by the motion and pulled back, but he calmed her.

"You are a messy eater, my dear. I was just wiping off some excess juice," he said. With those words, she calmed herself as he wiped the juice off her face. He soon pulled back, put the handkerchief neatly in his pocket, and proceeded to eat the crêpe. She noticed one slice of strawberry fell out of the crêpe as he took one of his last bites and kept eyeing it. He noticed her stare and asked, "Would you like to eat it?" She looked at him with confusion in her eyes, but realized that she was actually staring at the fruit and began to blush in embarrassment. "It's all right if you want it. I'm quite full as it is."

"I would like it, please," she said politely. He smiled as he grabbed her fork and stabbed the strawberry with it.

He then pointed it toward her as he said, "Open wide." She did as she was told as she opened her mouth wide enough for him to place the strawberry on her tongue. Once it did, she closed her mouth so she could take the sweet fruit off the fork. She moaned with delight since this one seemed to taste sweeter than the ones she tasted previously.

"Mm," she said with a smile.

"I can clean up for you," he said as he took the plates from the table and put them in a dirty dishes corner of the counter. She giggled as she watched him be a gentleman for her.

* * *

"Where is she?" Adrian said as he looked at the clock. It has already been two hours since he dropped her off at the market. Surely the poor girl didn't get lost, did she? He was starting to think the worst the longer she was out there. He tried to calm himself, thinking that she might have been distracted by the sights and just wandered off, but then he thought that she was a lost puppy trying to find her way back, but couldn't. He then thought of some thuggish men approaching her and trying to hurt her, but he didn't know how she could defend herself. She was a sweet girl that wouldn't harm a fly, but he remembered that the bizarre dolls couldn't die like normal humans. However, Annabeth was a _living_ doll. He didn't know how her body would react if she was hurt. Would she be fine or could she die? The fact he didn't know for certain bugged the hell out of him.

Speaking of hell, his ears perked up as he heard two people laughing outside his shop. He quickly ran to the window to see who they were and was relieved to see Annabeth with the bag of items in her arms . . . but also that devilish butler accompanying her. What the hell was he doing here and not back at the Phantomhive estate? Regardless, he hurriedly opened the door and said as calmly as he could with a giggle, "There you are, Annabeth! I was afraid you got hopeless lost."

"Oh, no, I just made a little detour with Sebastian. I tried a crêpe for the first time today and it was delicious," she said childishly.

"That's sounds wonderful. Why don't you put those things in the shop while master butler and I have a little private chat," he said in a slightly less cheery tone.

"Of course," she said as she carried the bag in the shop and closing the door behind her.

As the two men stood alone, Undertaker lost his usual smile as he asked, "So you've just _happened_ to be in the neighborhood?"

"My young master sent me on a task to retrieve a certain brand of tea leaves only sold in that market and I ran into Ms. Phoenix. This time, she smells less . . . death-like," he said in an ominous tone.

Undertaker's eyebrow arched at the comment. "So you know?"

"Yes and so does the young master. It wasn't hard to piece together, especially since her last name comes from the mythological bird that can burn itself to death and come back to life through its ashes. Honestly, Undertaker, I am impressed you've managed to bring one back from the dead so successfully. We all know how badly the last ones turned out."

"Listen, demon, those creatures were not flawed. They just needed to learn how to behave normally, but you and those other Grim Reapers never gave them a chance," he said rather angrily.

"They were threatening my young master and I had to protect him through any means necessary. Your former coworkers seem to think they were abominations as well, including Lilliana."

"To hell what they think! Those creatures were beautiful, but why should such beauty be wasted by burying them or burning them until they are turned to ashes? I let their beauty live on."

"And with that, you created monsters feasting off the flesh of the living."

"They were just prototypes to my future creations. I've perfected the reanimation process through Ms. Annabeth Phoenix. As you can see, nothing is wrong with her."

"For now. However, she is quite the lady, if I do say so myself," he said with a subtle perverse tone.

"Don't you even think about it, Michaelis," he warned. "I may be retired, but if I remember correctly, I managed to do a number on you back on that ship."

"Just out of curiosity, have you ever . . . ,"

"You really are a demon! No, I haven't even thought of it! She is my creation and will be treated with the upmost care."

"Well, I'm sure she will be curious. After all, she is a woman and there will be men out there who want to explore every inch of her."

"And you're not one of those men?"

"I don't believe I am, but you seem to think so."

"I would be lying if I said I could trust you with her. I rather have it that you would never see her again."

"Is that a threat?"

"I hope it doesn't turn out that way, but if you come any closer to her, I'm afraid it could get violent."

Sebastian chuckled as he said, "I see. Well, I should be heading back to my master. I hope to see you again on a happier note."

"Farewell," he said as he watched the demon leave his side and away from the shop. Who does he think he is trying to get close to Annabeth? She is not some tramp on the street for his pleasure. She was a unique woman who should be preserved, not defiled. Demons like him just don't understand.

* * *

That night, Annabeth woke up in the middle of the night after having a wonderful dream about her day today. She was able to see things she never saw before and the atmosphere seemed to welcome her with open arms. Adrian was kind enough to take her to the market despite having to leave soon after and Sebastian was exceptionally kind to show her around. Since she met him a week ago, she thought he was rather . . . interesting, but for some reason, she didn't really think he was normally kind. If anything, she thought that he was just living life through the orders of his young master, but he can take breaks from that and show generosity to others.

She got up from her coffin bed, looked out her window, and saw the moon as it shone its beautiful light to the world below. She wished she could just go outside and bathe in the moonlight, but Adrian warned her to not go out at night alone. He said bad things happen to pretty girls like her, but promised to take her out one day. However, temptation took over her tonight as she grabbed her shoes and scarf and changed out of her nightgown into regular clothes. She made sure not to wear her shoes in fear that he would hear the clanking of her shoes on the hardwood floor. She tiptoed downstairs, making sure that she made as little noise as possible. She had to refrain from giggling; she was doing something naughty. If he found out what she was doing, she would get in a lot of trouble.

She slowly opened the door, making sure the bell didn't ring to alarm him. She had seen him jolt down the stairs in the middle of the night at the sound of the bell, so she was sure to keep quiet. Lucky for her, she managed to squeeze through the opening of the door and quietly shut it without making any noise. However, as she turned her body, she shrieked at the sight before her, but a gloved hand covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," Sebastian said apologetically as he removed his hand from her mouth. "I was just here to speak with you and the Undertaker about a certain proposal my master thought might interest you."

"It's the middle of the night, Sebastian. Couldn't it have waited until tomorrow?" she asked, but noticed the picnic basket hanging from his other arm.

"Unfortunately no; he wants to know an answer as soon as possible. I thought the two of us could discuss this under the moonlight. I even brought some strawberries in case the two of you would get hungry," he said.

"Oh, well, I can discuss it with you. I'm afraid Undertaker is very tired right now and he needs his rest," she lied, which made him smirk.

"Is that so? Well, I guess that's all right, as long as you repeat what I say to him."

"I will," she assured. He held out his arm for her to grasp. Sure enough, she did and the two headed off to a nearby park.

* * *

Adrian woke up after he heard a slight feminine shriek. Usually, a sound like that wouldn't wake him, but for some reason, it did. He slowly opened his eyes and stretched his limbs, feeling his body crack. "Annabeth, are you all right?" he asked, as if she was in the room with him, but even if she was, she wouldn't have heard him. "Annabeth?" he said louder, but he received no response. He didn't like getting out of bed if he didn't have to, but he had to make sure she was all right. "Annabeth, are you all right?" he repeated as he got up from bed, putting on his usual robes, and heading toward her room. When he walked to her door, he felt that something was . . . missing, but he brushed it off. He opened the door and noticed that her coffin lid was closed, like she normally would sleep. He chuckled every time he saw it like that. A living creature sleeping in a place reserved for the dead. How unusual. Still, he walked to the coffin and opened the lid slowly, not wanting to wake her, but to his surprise, she wasn't inside. "Is she downstairs?" he thought as he closed the coffin. With a hurry, he practically ran downstairs, but was even more worried when he realized that she wasn't there either. "Where did that bloody girl go?" He then noticed her scarf on the table near the door and got even more worried. "Did she . . . leave in the middle of the night?"

* * *

"The young lord wants me to work at his manor?" she repeated as she took another bite into her strawberry. They were so fresh and sweet that she had already eaten three before this one. The moonlight and the night breeze felt good on her skin, a feeling she was dying to feel for a long time.

"Yes, he believes that you would get a more rewarding experience working for him rather than the Undertaker. He says you're a lively young woman who should be able to work with a young lord, rather than a man obsessed with death."

"Oh, but I do enjoy working for Undertaker. His fascination with death may seem offsetting for some, but not me."

"I thought you might say that, but the benefits he is willing to give you are worthwhile. The pay is very good and room and board are provided for you. Plus, you will be granted two week vacation for the year while also making friends with the other servants."

"It sounds wonderful, but I don't know if I'm ready for a job like that yet," she said as she finished the strawberry, but just like before, some juice landed on her lip.

He chuckled as he tried to grab a handkerchief from his pocket, but to his "surprise", there wasn't one there. "Oh dear, I seem to have left my handkerchief at the manor," he said.

"Oh, that's ok," she said as she was about to wipe the juice with her sleeve, but he stopped her.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. You're a lady and what you were about to do isn't lady-like at all."

"Oh, then what are we to do?" she asked.

He smirked as he said, "The strawberry was sweet, yes?"

"Well, yes, very," she said, unsure to what he was hinting at.

"Well, since we have nothing to wipe your mouth with, mind if I . . . have a taste?"

Her eyes widened by the question. "You mean . . . lick it off?"

"I see no other option," he said, keeping that wicked smirk plastered on his face.

"Well . . . if there is no other way," she said reluctantly. "But please be quick. I'm not comfortable with this."

"Of course," he said as he leaned towards her. However, before he could touch her skin with his tongue, he was stopped by a Death Scythe.

"I told you to stay away from her, Michaelis," Adrian said with an angry tone.

"Adrian!" she shrieked as she quickly got up from the ground. "What are you doing with _that_?!"

"I have to teach this demon of a man a lesson about overstepping his boundaries," he said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him for protection.

"I didn't intend to cause any harm to Ms. Phoenix," he said, backing away from his Death Scythe, but holding out forks and knives in case he did attack suddenly.

"Oh, and what were you about to do to her?"

"I was just cleaning off the juice on her lip," he said with a smirk. Even he couldn't hide the fact that his intentions weren't pure.

"And you didn't have a handkerchief with you?"

"He didn't have one on him," Annabeth defended.

He scoffed. "This is master butler we are talking about. You are always prepared for anything, aren't you?" he said with a giggle, as if he was his usual self, but was far from it. "A butler of your breed is always ready for anything, especially as something as trivial as cleaning up."

He smirked as he said, "Well, I didn't come here just to speak with Ms. Phoenix. I came to propose something to you too."

Adrian scowled as he said, "What could you possibly want?"

"Well, the young master is _very_ interested in Ms. Phoenix and thinks she would be a great addition to the Phantomhive family."

"Out of the question," he said as he held onto her tighter.

"Please let me finish. If you let us take her off your hands . . . my young master will no longer use the Campania incident as blackmail." Adrian arched his eyebrow at the proposal.

"The Campania incident?" she asked.

Adrian looked at her worried expression and said, "It's nothing for you to worry about." However, he sighed as he said, "If I let her work with you, do you promise to not defile her or anything of the sort."

Sebastian lifted a hand in the air as he said, "I swear. Besides, Ms. Kiliamo would be in charge of her."

Adrian looked at Annabeth again and asked, "Are you all right with this?"

"I . . . I don't know. Can I come back to visit the Undertaker?" she asked Sebastian.

"On your days off, yes, but you can't while working," he said. She didn't know what to do. This was her first real big decision and wanted to choose the right one. She didn't want to leave Adrian, but she also wanted to explore the world around her and surely being at the Phantomhive estate would allow her to be free. Adrian didn't seem to have a good relationship with Sebastian, but he was also somewhat willing to let her go.

She breathed in as she said, "All right, I'll go."

"Excellent," Sebastian said as he cleaned up the picnic.

"But-," she blurted, leaving the men curious to know what she would say next. "I don't want to go right away. Can I start working next week?"

Sebastian had a contemplative look on his face, but said, "I guess that would be all right, but next week, we will pick you up first thing in the morning and take you to the manor."

"Of course," she said.

With that, Sebastian gathered the picnic basket and said, "Well, I shall be off. I'll see you next week, Ms. Phoenix."

Adrian and Annabeth finally arrived to the funeral parlor, but she was uncomfortable throughout the walk back. He had an unusually angry expression on his face, which scared her. What happened to Adrian and Sebastian in the past that they would be on bad terms with each other? It must have been something pretty bad. Still, he didn't seem to be angry at just him. She thought that he was angry at her for accepting the offer. She hated that idea; she never wanted him to be angry at her for anything. He wouldn't even talk to her and to make things worse, once he got inside, he stormed to another room. She was about to cry, thinking it was her fault, but she saw him come back with a cloth and he wiped the juice off her face. "I can't believe that damn demon tried to kiss you," he said under his breath, but she heard him.

"Kiss me? No, he was cleaning my-," she tried to defend, but was interrupted.

"He was trying to kiss you. I know men like him and they try to seduce women to do their bidding."

"I . . . I didn't know. I _wouldn't_ know. I've never been kissed before," she said. Adrian looked at her with a confused look, but remembered that she wasn't Mary Welch who was in two relationships in the past; she was the resurrected Annabeth Phoenix.

"That's right, you wouldn't know," he said.

"What's it like . . . to kiss someone?" she asked so innocently.

"It's nothing special," he said.

"Really?"

"Yes. People try to make it something special, but it is nothing more than a simple gesture."

"Well, if it isn't so special, than why would you be upset with Sebastian trying to kiss me?" she asked. Adrian looked at her and gave her a playful smile. She's a smart one, isn't she?

"He-he, I guess you're right. A kiss used to have meaning toward it; it meant that two people were in love, but nowadays, humans just kiss without any meaning behind it. Now, it's used to trick people and a just release for repressed emotions, but it no longer has the same meaning as it did before."

"Just a simple little action meant all that?"

"It used to, but it means nothing now. Watch," he said as he suddenly kissed her, trying to prove a point. She was surprised by the sudden contact, but she didn't pull back. Her heart was racing, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the sudden action . . . or something else. He pulled back and said, "See, nothing." However, she pulled him back for another kiss. He was surprised by the kiss and saw that she was closing her eyes while keeping their lips locked. She was really enjoying this and made sure that she kept their lips together for a long time. Eventually, she pulled back and smiled.

"We should do this again," she said with a smile.

"You really enjoyed that, didn't you?" he said with a laugh.

"Yes, very much. Why don't we kiss more often?"

"I told you that it is something reserved for two people in love."

"But you also said that it has lost its meaning over the years," she argued.

He giggled as he said, "I suppose, but I like to preserve the sanctity of a kiss." As he said that, he noticed the disappointed look on her face and sighed. "But a kiss on the cheek is different."

She looked at him with perked ears. "On the cheek?"

"When a person kisses someone on the cheek, it shows they care, but nothing as committed as love. Would you like that?"

"I would actually," Annabeth said with a smile. He then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and she giggled like a little girl.

"I promise to give you a kiss on the cheek every day if that would make you happy."

"Yes it would," she said with a sweet smile.

There was a moment of silence before Adrian said, "All right, it's already pretty late, dearie. It's time for you to go to bed," he said.

"Oh, I guess you're right," she said with a slightly sad tone. The two headed upstairs and he walked her to her coffin. He watched as she closed her eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep, making him softly chuckle at the sight. She was a pretty little thing when she was asleep. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to see that sleeping face for long time since she would be away to the Phantomhive manor with Sebastian and Lilliana looming over her. Would she feel safe there? He didn't know and was afraid to know the answer. He wanted to keep her for as long as he could before he felt she was ready to explore the world, so for this next week, he was going to make sure that all her needs were met, hoping that she would be prepared for the next journey of her life. Actually, the real question wasn't if she was ready; it was if _he_ was ready.

* * *

 ** _There is a character in this story (Lilliana Kiliamo) from another story called One Hell of a Reaper_** ** _. If you want to know her backstory, go ahead and read it, but be warned that it is rated M._**


	3. His Fear

The next day, Adrian had something very special ready for Annabeth before she went to bed. Since she would be leaving next week, he figured that he would shower her with care and attention, but he had his doubts. Would Sebastian keep his word about not trying anything with her? Why would the young lord want her? Why would Sebastian use such a vile tactic to make her say yes? The thought of him trying to kiss her still made his blood boil, even in the morning after. Still, he didn't, which made him feel a bit better. "Annabeth, can you come down please? I have a surprise for you."

She slowly walked down the stairs, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She was about to go to bed, even wearing her black nightgown that he had kindly bought her along with other new clothes. However, as she reached downstairs, her eyes lit up with surprise. Below was their usual dining room table, but in the middle, there was a chocolate cake beautifully decorated with strawberries. "Oh! What is this?" she asked.

"Well, you'll be leaving my side soon, so I thought I might as well treat you while you're still here," he said with a smile.

She giggled. "I didn't think you would do this," she said as she sat down on one of the chairs. He then picked up the knife and sliced into the cake, serving a generous amount to his lady. However, just before he could give the plate to her, she began to cough. She covered her mouth with her elbow to prevent spreading it everywhere, which alarmed him.

"Are you all right, dearie?" he asked in a worried tone.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she said, finishing her cough. After a moment of silence, he proceeded to serve her the slice. She hurriedly grabbed a fork and a knife and proceeded to take a bite. As she took her first bite, she moaned in bliss. "This is really good," she said as she quickly took another sweet bite.

"He-he, I'm glad you like it," he said with a giggle. Just watching her eat something so sweet made him happy. She kept eating every bite so quickly that he was afraid she was going to make herself sick. She finished the slice in about two minutes; he timed her. However, she savored the taste of the sweet fruit slowly.

"Did you make it yourself?" she asked.

"Actually, no. I bought it this afternoon," he said as he finally served himself a slice.

"Oh, it tastes delicious, nonetheless," she said as she finished her strawberry. He was about to serve her another slice, but they both heard the bell ring from the front of the shop.

"Pardon me," he said as he left her side to see who entered the shop. He put on his signature grin and greeted the customer. "Greetings . . . oh, it's you," he said in a surprised, yet happy tone.

"It's been a while, Undertaker," a young woman said with a smile. She had long raven-black hair, but some of it covered her right eye. The eye he could see had an otherworldly, but familiar green color. She wore dark slacks, a white collar shirt, a brown vest, and short black heels. He hadn't seen her ever since the whole Campania incident and even at night, when she was free to roam around all of London, she refused to visit him since she felt betrayed by him when he played with the dead. He didn't blame her since it was her job to keep the balance between life and death. Still, this was a welcomed surprise for him.

"What are you doing here at this time of night, Lilliana? I'm sure the young lord doesn't need any information out of me."

"Can't a girl just visit a dear friend of hers without arousing suspicion?" she asked in a playful tone.

"You'd still call me a dear friend after everything?"

"Well, you may have broken every rule in the Reaper Association, but at the same time, so have I," she said with a laugh, but he could tell she was holding back. "Besides, I see you weren't quite done messing with life and death."

He arched an eyebrow as he said, "So Sebastian has told you?"

"Of course; I'm very close to him as you already know. Also, this doll will be working with us and I thought that I might as well meet her before she joins us," she said as they started to walk back to the back room. Even though she was told by Sebastian that this doll was just like a human, she still had her suspicions about how this new experiment would behave. To their surprise, they saw that Annabeth was eating the chocolate cake, but no longer using a knife. She just grabbed handfuls of the cake and put them on the plate. However, as she reached for another "slice", she saw them and immediately pulled her hand back.

Lilliana chuckled. "She is really child-like, isn't she?"

Undertaker face palmed, but took a deep breath and said, "I'm assuming you liked the cake?"

"Y-Yes," Annabeth said with an embarrassed tone and red cheeks.

"Oh, may I have a slice?" Lilliana asked, but before Adrian could answer, she cut herself a small slice from an area of the cake that didn't have finger marks. She took a bite and said, "Not bad, but Sebastian's are better."

Annabeth looked at the stranger with curious eyes, trying to figure out who she was. She seemed to be a friend of Adrian, but she couldn't be too sure after interacting with Sebastian the other day. He noticed her expression and said, "Oh, I haven't introduced you two. Annabeth, this is-,"

"Lilliana Kiliamo," she said as she extended her hand out for her to shake, but pulled back when she remembered that Annabeth's hands were covered with cake. She gave her a napkin as she said, "I'm the head maid of the Phantomhive manor. We'll be working together."

"Oh, hello, Ms. Kiliamo. I'm Anna-," she said as she wiped her hands, but soon, she started coughing again. They looked at her with concern, but she relieved them as she said, "I'm fine."

"I wonder if you're catching a cold, dearie," he said with concern.

" _Can_ she get sick?" Lilliana asked.

"I don't know, to be honest, but I think it's about time she went to bed," Adrian said as he guided her out of the chair and upstairs. However, before she entered her room, he stopped her, saying, "Ah, ah, ah; you almost forgot something." She looked at him with a confused look, but he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, which made her smile. "You didn't forget about my promise, did you?"

"I . . . I-," she said a little flustered with red cheeks.

"He-he. Goodnight Annabeth."

"Goodnight," she said as she entered her room and closed the door. He wanted to go inside to help her in her coffin, but with Lilliana downstairs, he couldn't. However, he didn't need to go downstairs to continue their conversation.

"So you give her goodnight kisses too? Well, aren't you an adorable father," Lilliana teased out of the blue at the top of the stairs, startling him.

"It's nothing like that," he said before pausing. "Can we talk more downstairs?"

"Sure," she said as the two walked downstairs to the shop. "Sebastian was right; you are overprotective of her."

"And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing really, but you do realize that you are acting just like my brother." They laughed. He only met her demon brother once and only briefly, but he knew just how overprotective her brother was of his little Reaper sister, mainly because they were constantly surrounded by fellow demons, but all that changed when she was taken by the Reaper Association. Now that he lost her, he vowed to get her back, but that would be impossible with the Association always keeping Lilliana on a tight leash. If he dared tried to "rescue" her, she would be punished and he would possibly be killed. Adrian always thought that the Association was wrong for separating them, but there was nothing he could do about it. After a while, she reassured him by saying, "Don't worry, Undertaker, I'll take care of her. I will make sure that nothing bad happens to her. You have my word."

"You swear on it?"

"On my brother's life."

"I better not hear anything bad happening to her. You both know what will happen if I hear-."

"One Grim Reaper against another and a demon, I know."

"Well, that's settled," he said as he headed for the door and opened it. "I'm sure you have some work to do. People are always dying in this city."

"They sure do," she said as she exited through the door. "Next week, don't forget."

* * *

 ** _Cough, cough, cough_**. That was the noise Adrian kept hearing for the past three days. At first, it was once in a while, but now, they were a lot more frequently. He kept checking to see if she had a fever, but she never did. In fact, it was the opposite. Her skin was ice cold and he could see slight discoloration from creamy white to grey. If she got sick, whatever it was, it wasn't just a regular cold, but it wasn't the flu either. He didn't know what was wrong with her. Though, she continued to work around his shop, but didn't interact with customers. Still, despite it, she had that happy smile that helped calm his nerves for only a while.

Today, the fourth day, she didn't even come downstairs. The sound of coughing still lingered in the air, but at least she would try to make an effort to get downstairs. He was getting very worried for her and decided to check on her. When he opened her door, he noticed that her coffin lid was still closed, but he knew she was awake since she was coughing. He opened it and saw her sickly smile when she saw his face. "Oh, thank good( _cough_ )ness."

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked with a caring tone.

"Not really ( _cough_ ). I had no strength ( _cough_ ) to open the lid," she said before coughing again, covering her mouth with her hands, but this time, they both saw blood on them.

"Oh dear. You should get some rest," he said with subtle worry. He had to stay calm if he wanted to keep calm.

"I can't ( _cough_ ). I've stayed up all night ( _cough_ ) coughing," she said.

"I'll give you some warm milk or something like that to help you sleep," he said as he tried to leave her side, but she held on to his hand before he could. They were ice cold, compared to his warm ones. He knelt down beside her as she put his warm hand against her cheek.

"So . . . warm," she said as she seemed to drift off to sleep already. So that's all she needed? His warmth? Or did she just want _him_ by her side? Regardless, he stayed with her throughout the day and only went downstairs only if a customer came in.

However, she stayed asleep all day. There was no coughing, must to his relief, but the fact she stayed asleep the entire day made him both happy . . . and very worried. Why was she still asleep? Yes, sick people should rest for as long as necessary, but even they get up once in a while for meals. Once it was night, he decided to go check up on her again. He opened her door and saw that she was indeed asleep, but still breathing. He released a sigh of relief as he closed the door and headed off into his room.

The next morning, Adrian was surprised to see her still sleeping. She's been sleeping for almost twenty-four hours! She must have really needed her rest. However, as he checked to see if she was breathing, he noticed that they were short instead of the long ones he heard last night. "Annabeth," he said sweetly, but she didn't even stir. "Annabeth, it's time for you to wake up," he said a little louder, but no sound was uttered. "Annabeth," he said, forcefully opening her eye, but he almost shrieked at what he saw.

Her blue-and-green eyes were . . . clouded. She was still alive, but her eyes said otherwise. If she wasn't still breathing, he would have assumed she was dead. He put his ear over her chest to listen for a heartbeat, but they were quiet and slow. "What the hell is going on?" he said with absolute worry. No point in hiding it now since he was afraid of Annabeth's condition. What was going on with her? She seems to be . . . dying. No, she couldn't be . . . could she? He never had a doll last as long as her. Maybe after a point of time, they start degenerating, but he wasn't sure. What the hell was he supposed to do? He didn't want her to die, but was there any way to stop it? How much longer would she have until she was . . . No, she isn't going to die, he thought. He would do whatever it took to stop her demise.

Throughout the day, Undertaker dealt with customers in between hourly checks up the stairs, but although he acted like his usual self, it was still clear that he had other things on his mind. "So, I managed to make a living doll, but even she would fall victim to her eminent fate. I guess death always wins in the end," he said to himself with a sad chuckle. However, he looked at his Death Scythe in a hidden corner and said, "Though, would it be possible to start the process over again?" He then grabbed it and with a deep breath, he headed upstairs. He opened her door and saw that she looked the same as he left her. He checked her heartbeat again and it was somehow even slower than before. "I'm sorry, love, but I've got to collect your soul. Perhaps we can start over in the next life," he said as he put the Death Scythe over her body, but for some reason, he couldn't even see her Cinematic Record. Usually, just putting it over a dead body was enough to collect it, but if it wasn't, that meant that he had to . . .

"No," he yelled as he set the Death Scythe down. "I can't just take it out of her. It would ruin her beautiful body! There has to be another way!" Despite all the different scenarios he played in his head, he knew there was one way for sure to get her soul. He thought about just waiting until her soul was ready for release, but he feared that she was on the To-Die list and another Reaper would try to collect her soul. There was only one way: stab the Death Scythe into her and take it out forcefully. He didn't want to do it . . . but at this point, there was no other option. She was dying and the longer he dilly-dallied, the less time he would have.

He reluctantly held up his Death Scythe again, ready to kill her, and slowly swung down, but before he could penetrate her skin, he heard, "Ad . . . rian." In shock, he quickly swung it back up, but in doing so, he accidentally cut his cheek. With the smell of his blood in the air, he was startled to see Annabeth not only stir, but actually get up from the coffin. She still had the cloudy eyes, but she seemed to move like she did before.

"Annabeth?" he asked softly, wondering what she would do. However, she quickly rushed to him and started licking the blood off his face. He was startled by the sudden action, but also wondered why she was doing this in the first place. If anything, this was demon behavior. Soon, she licked his wound clean and pulled back. As he looked into her eyes, he was surprised to see that they no longer had the cloud, but revealed that shade of blue and green that he loved so much. Even her skin seemed to regain its color.

She smiled as she said, "I feel much better."

"What did you just do?"

"I . . . I don't know. It's just that . . . instinct took over. . . . We're you about to kill me?" she asked with a frightened tone as she looked at the Death Scythe in his hand with a bit of blood on the blade.

He opened his mouth, about to say something, but quickly shut it. He was going to deny it, but he concluded that she would have known he was lying if he did. "I was about to collect your soul, dearie."

"And that involved stabbing me with that . . . thing?!"

"It's called a Death Scythe, but I thought . . . you were dying."

She bowed her head with sadness as she said, "I thought I was, but you were going to kill me because of it?"

"No, I was trying to collect your soul so I could reanimate you again. I had no intentions of ever hurting you."

"You . . . You mean that?" she said as tears fell from her eyes down her cheek.

"Of course," he said as he hugged her. "I wouldn't let you die. If your soul was ever taken away, I would do whatever it would take to get it back. You are very precious to me."

She smiled as she began to cry on his shoulder. "I'm so happy."

"I'm just glad we found a solution before it was too late," he said as he held on to her tightly. He was scared to death; he thought he was going to lose his beloved creation. No, he was afraid that he was going to lose _her._ She was more to him than just an experiment. She pulled back as she tried to look into his eyes, but was disappointed to see them covered with his bangs, like usual. This time, she brushed his hair away so she could see his chartreuse green eyes. She caught her breath as she saw those gorgeous eyes and could feel her cheeks burn up.

He smiled. "You are one of the few human to see me eyes."

"R-Really," she asked. "Wait, human?"

"You haven't figured it out, dearie? Even after all of this talk about souls? I'm a Grim Reaper," he said blatantly.

Her eyes widened with shock. "What?!"

"How else could I bring you back to life? I have control of a person's life." Annabeth was dumbfounded by what she was hearing. Was he kidding? He liked jokes and maybe he was joking now, but he seems to be serious. "And the woman you met today is also a Grim Reaper and master butler is a demon," he said with a straight face.

"You're . . . You're serious?"

"Very."

"Why tell me now?"

"Well, only my fellow Grim Reapers, that demon, and only two humans have seen my eyes. I make sure that no one else sees them. However, you are different. With you, I didn't even flinch."

"You trust me," she said as tears fell from her cheek.

He wiped them with his thumb as he said, "Of course. Besides, you need part of me to keep you alive."

"You mean . . . your blood?"

He nodded. "You felt better after drinking it, correct?"

"Y-Yes," she said softly

"Well, that's settled. Whenever you feel sick, you come to me. Am I clear?"

"Y-Yes," she said softly, but hugged him again. "Thank you for saving my life."

* * *

The next day, Annabeth made sure that everything was packed in her trunk. Luckily, she didn't have much stuff, so there wasn't much to pack. Luckily for him, she looked a lot better than she did yesterday, much to his relief. With that little cut on his cheek, he managed to save her. He did let her drink a bit more of his blood so she could get back to completely normal. Speaking of which, before she closed her trunk, he gave her a bottle with red liquid. She looked at it and asked, "What's this?"

"This is a bottle of my blood," he said, making her eyes widen with surprise.

"Did you fill this up today?!"

"No, I had this on standby in a cupboard in case I needed it. I think it will serve you better than me."

She grabbed the bottle as she said, "But you said that I should come to you if-,"

"I've been thinking that it would be rather difficult for you to come back here if you were getting sick. Besides, I doubt master butler and Lilliana would let you out of their sight. Therefore, in order to keep you safe, I'm giving you this. If you run out, _then_ come back to me."

"Thank you," she said as she hugged him again. They waited anxiously for Lilliana to come to pick her up, but it was already the afternoon. If it were Sebastian picking her up, he would have picked her up first thing in the morning, like he promised. What was taking that girl so long?

Speaking of the devil, they heard a carriage pull up in front of his shop. Soon, the door opened and, to their surprise, in came Lilliana, now wearing a maid's dress, Sebastian, and Ciel. "I am terribly sorry for our lateness, but we had an urgent task that we could not delay," Ciel said.

"I guess it's fine," Annabeth said as she tried to carry her trunk, but Sebastian took it out of her hand.

"I shall get that for you, Ms. Phoenix," he said with his usual smile. She blushed, remembering that he tried to kiss her last week and he knew.

"All right, let's go," Ciel said as the trio and Annabeth headed out the door, but not before hearing a giggle.

"I don't suppose you would have any room for one more, would you?" he asked with a smile.

"Would you like to accompany us?" Lilliana asked.

"Why, of course. She is very important to me and I would like to discuss a few things with the young lord."

"I suppose it would be acceptable," Ciel said as all five of them headed toward the carriage. Sebastian and Lilliana hopped to the driver's seat while Undertaker, Annabeth, and Ciel entered the carriage. As it was in motion, the three didn't speak a word to each other. Annabeth didn't want to embarrass herself in front of someone with such a noble title with her stupid questions. She wanted to talk to Adrian, but she didn't want to make a fool out of herself and him. Ciel only stared at her, waiting to see if she would do something that would cause her to be . . . euthanized. Adrian was looking at both Annabeth and Ciel, hoping he didn't need to be violent to protect her.

Outside the carriage, Sebastian and Lilliana conversed for a while. "Do you think this will work?" she asked.

"If he really is looking for his wife, then I would assume it will. If not, then we could continue to have her work for us," Sebastian said.

"But . . . what purpose would he have with her? I've seen him with his many concubines and he seems to be fine. Why would he want her again?"

"Once someone has control over someone, they want to keep it for as long as possible, but losing that control can cause people to go irrational. It's a common thing for humans to want power and to do whatever it takes to gain it."

"True, but . . . do you think that he'll . . . ,"

"It is none of our business after he retrieves her," he said, but he sensed her uneasiness. "Is something wrong?"

"It's just . . . I promised Undertaker that I won't let anything happen to her. I'm not sure what his intentions are for having her back, but I know they aren't good," Lilliana said with her head down.

Sebastian placed a finger on her chin and raised it so that she could meet his gaze as he said, "Be glad you didn't make a contract with him. You are allowed to break promises and commands, unlike me. I only promised to not defile her."

"I know," she said as she softly swatted his hand off her. "But . . . he is still a friend of mine and she's not as . . . dangerous as I thought. If anything, she is just a little girl in an adult body. What if he tried to . . . do something?"

"It is out of our control at that point."

There was a moment of silence, but she said, "Well, it wouldn't last long anyway. He is on the To-Die list after all."


	4. Her Bullet Wound

After a long carriage ride, the five of them finally arrived to the Phantomhive estate and Annabeth's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh my goodness! It's quite huge and magnificent," she said as she looked out the window.

"Of course it would be. It needs to represent the nobility and power of the Phantomhives," Ciel said in his usual noble tone. "Soon, you will be part of that legacy."

"Oh, that's right. It should be . . . exciting," she said, but it wasn't genuine. If anything, this trip was frightening her. The furthest she had ever traveled before this was to the market some blocks away from funeral parlor, so being this far away from home was terrifying. Plus, she barely knew the people she was going to work for other than the couple times she had encountered them. The only people she knew were Lilliana and Sebastian, but she didn't know them that well.

"He-he, I'm sure you'll fit in just fine," Undertaker said as he put his arm around her. "And if you have any _problems_ , you can speak to Ms. Kiliamo."

"Oh, that's right, Lilliana will look after you," Ciel said under his breath. "I wanted Sebastian to look after her, but they both insisted."

"It's for the better, my lord," Undertaker said with a smile. Ciel scoffed at the comment, but soon, the carriage stopped. They heard Sebastian and Lilliana dismount the carriage and he opened the door.

"We have arrived," Sebastian said with a bow while Lilliana stood by his side.

"Excellent. Lilliana, you wouldn't mind showing our newest member around the manor, would you?" Ciel said as he passed by them. "The Undertaker and I have some business we need to discuss."

"Of course, my young lord," she said with a bow. Ciel guided his guests inside his manor, where they were greeted by the other four servants.

"Welcome Ms. Annabeth Phoenix," they all said in their usual cheery tones. Annabeth was surprised by their smiling faces, but felt much more welcomed by these lovable servants.

"H-Hello," she said innocently.

"This is Finnian, Mey-Rin, and Baldroy. You'll be working with them while you're here. And that old guy there is Tanaka," she said as she gestured the little old man sipping his tea.

"Ho, ho, ho."

"Nice to meet you all," she said.

"It's nice to have a new face around the manor," Finny said with wonder in his eyes.

"It'll be fun, yes it will," Mey-Rin said with a cute cockney accent.

"We'll show you all that the Phantomhive servants have to offer," Baldroy said with an all-American thumbs-up.

"I look forward to it," Annabeth said with a smile. However, she noticed Sebastian, Ciel, and Undertaker heading to another room and Undertaker made sure to look at her one more time before he was out of her sight.

"Well, dearie, let me show you where you are staying," Lilliana said. Annabeth blushed a bit since only Adrian called her dearie, but knowing that they have been friends for a very long time, it would make sense that she would pick up some of his vocabulary. "But before that, Sebastian has some orders for the three of you. Finny, make sure the bushes are pruned. Mey-Rin, make sure that all the sheets are washed. Baldroy, just try not to burn the kitchen down."

"Yes, Lilliana," they said as they left for their tasks, determined to not mess it up _this time_. Soon, she guided Annabeth through the manor, explaining key rooms that she would have to visit often.

"And here is the drawing room where our young master likes to entertain his guests. I'm surprised he receives as many guests as he does, but sometimes, he plays games with those guests. It's actually quite interesting."

"Games? Like chess?"

Lilliana chuckled as she said, "In a way, yes, but if you're going to live here, you've got to know a few things. For example, our little lord is actually the Queen's Watchdog and does whatever Our Majesty wishes by any means necessary."

"So he's that powerful? I'm getting a little scared," Annabeth said as she bowed her head. However, Lilliana raised her head so she could meet her gaze.

"Don't worry, dearie. You'll be fine while I'm here to protect you. I promised Undertaker that I wouldn't let anything harm you," she said before she averted her eyes. "Anyway, down the hall are the servants' quarters, where you will spend most of your time when you're not working. The men share one bedroom while the women share another"

"So you and I will be sleeping in the same room?"

"Actually, no. Head servants, such as Sebastian and I, get our own room."

"Don't you mean 'rooms'?"

Lilliana widened her eyes at a realization and said, "Y-Yeah, that's what I meant. You'll be sharing a room with Mey-Rin."

"Oh, all right," she said. She never shared a room before, so she was nervous. She shared a home with Adrian, but he never slept in her room and vice versa.

The tour continued and Annabeth felt like she had been walking forever by the time they returned to the lobby of the manor. However, the tour was _still_ not over. They had another half of the manor to explore. How do any of the servants not get lost in this place? She was having trouble keeping track of where she's been. "Have the two of them discussed what your job is here? Like gardener, chef, or maid?"

"No, they haven't. All I know is that I have a job," she said a bit out of breath.

Lilliana noticed her fatigue and laughed. "Well, if you're out of breath now, you're going to have a hard time working around here. Hmm, I think being a maid would be best for you. It takes a certain skill to cook, despite Baldroy likes burning everything, and it takes a lot of strength to be a gardener, despite Finny has a tendency to break everything. I think being a maid would be a perfect job for you."

Annabeth smiled. "That would be lovely." However, as they walked further toward the kitchen, they saw Sebastian walking their direction. Lilliana smiled, but Annabeth hid her face so he wouldn't see her. However, it was too late as a smirk etched on his face.

"I see you're still giving her a tour of our manor," he said.

"Yes. I have to make sure that she knows every secret of the Phantomhive estate," she said.

He looked at Annabeth and said, "I'm glad that you accepted the job." However, her face seemed to grow a shade of red and he laughed. Lilliana noticed the scene and became suspicious.

"Pardon me for asking, but . . . how exactly did you convince her to come here?"

"I took her on a little midnight picnic and provided strawberries," he said as innocently as a demon could.

"Oh, you've never done that with me," she teased. "But as long as it gets the job done, then I'm fine with it."

"Also, I made a little deal with your dear _friend_. In exchange for her, we will no longer use the Campania incident as blackmail."

"Well that's a relief," she said with a smile. "I was afraid he would be forever tormented by that."

"I did it especially for you," he said with a smile, which made her smile as well. However, she had to quickly lose it when she remembered that Annabeth was with her, observing everything.

She cleared her throat. "Well, then. We should continue the tour."

"All right then. Our young master must be getting impatient," he said as he left their side.

The two women walked further down the hall before Lilliana continued to ask more questions. "You had a midnight picnic with a devilish butler. So, tell me: how was it?"

"Well . . . it was unexpected. I was just trying to explore everything the moonlight touched when he happened to be at the door. He said he wanted to talk to the Undertaker, but I was the next best thing. We shared some strawberries and he . . . ," Annabeth said as she grew quiet.

"And he what, dearie?"

"Well, I don't think he was trying to, but the Undertaker said that he . . . tried to . . . kiss me."

Lilliana stopped suddenly and with a slightly angry tone, she said, "What?"

"He tried to kiss me, but he was only cleaning up the juice on my lip," she defended, but to no avail.

"He tried . . . to kiss you," she said with a sinister tone, but soon began to laugh. "He really is a demon, isn't he?"

"Ms. Kiliamo," Annabeth asked timidly, but when Lilliana turned around, she shrieked when she saw her eyes. Instead of her usual green color, they were blood-red, almost like a vampire's. Do such creatures exist? Well, knowing that Grim Reapers and demon exist, the idea wasn't far-fetched. While on that topic, do angels exist?

"He uses sweet words so his victims fall into his hands, corrupting them until they can no longer be salvaged. It is an unfortunate skill he possesses and he uses it all the time, even though he doesn't need to," she said before storming off.

"Wait, Ms. Kiliamo! You haven't concluded the tour!"

"I don't give a crap! Find you own bloody way around this damn place!"

* * *

"What is taking Sebastian so long?" Ciel asked impatiently as he repeatedly tapped his desk with his finger. Granted, it would take longer for a regular servant to make sweets for two, but this was Sebastian we're talking about.

"He-he, eating too many sweets can ruin your teeth, my lord," Undertaker teased, causing Ciel to give him a death glare.

"You have no say in my sweet intake. Sebastian makes the best sweets and I like to eat one of them every day."

"Yes, those devilish sweets are so good; it can enchant anyone into doing what the maker wants."

Ciel scoffed, but soon, they heard the door open and in came Sebastian with a tray of tea and sweets. "I'm sorry it took long, but today's tea is Earl Grey accompanied with a triple-layer chocolate cake. I am sure it will be to your liking."

"Oh, master butler's sweets should be exquisite," Undertaker said with a chuckle. Soon, Sebastian served the two a slice of cake along with a cup of tea and stepped back to await further orders. "Mm, Lily was right; his cakes _do_ taste better than store-bought ones."

"Young master, I believe there is some business to discuss with our guest," Sebastian said as he watched his young master take a bite of his chocolate sweet.

"Yes, of course. Like I said, I want Annabeth to work for us and in exchange, we would drop the Campania incident," Ciel said.

"Forgive me for asking, my lord, but why would someone like you want to hire her. I don't see how she would be beneficial for you."

"It has been brought to my attention that you want to make her as human as possible since she is a . . . doll. In order to do that, especially for a woman her age, she should be living life instead of being isolated in a little funeral parlor. Naturally, the best course of action was to have her work for me so she can develop friendships and skills needed to survive the world she has been brought back to."

"I'm sure I can teach her those skills myself. It takes time-,"

"I don't think it would be appropriate for a woman to live with a man she has no relationship with, even if it is as unusual as this. Your reputation and hers would be on the line the longer she stayed there. Eventually, people would catch on and gossip can kill a person."

"He-he and you think reputation can kill me? I'm an Undertaker, for heaven's sake! That would be the _least_ of my troubles."

"But what about Annabeth's reputation as a respectable lady?" Sebastian asked. Undertaker grew quiet as he continued. "Surely you don't want her reputation to be soiled before it can begin."

"You will still be able to see her whenever you want; I will not prevent you from visiting since she is your experiment. However, you cannot abuse that hospitality. I would prefer you to come by once in a while rather than frequently. Also, she cannot visit you. She will be working here and will not have the time," Ciel said as he sipped his tea.

"Understood, my lord. However, as you said, she is a doll and I don't want her to do anything too strenuous that would break her," Undertaker said as he took another bite of the cake.

"But she isn't as sensitive as the others, now is she? She is a lot more durable than the dolls we've encountered before. Besides, I have already arranged for her to be a maid. The worse that would happen is if she fell from a ladder, but Mey-Rin's always survived worse. It shouldn't be too hard to clean the manor," Ciel said.

"Oh, goodie. She may be more durable, but I don't know how much more she can handle compared to the others."

"And as we have said previously, Lilliana would take care of her, so there should be nothing to fear. She will be in good hands during her stay. I guarantee it," Ciel said with a wicked grin.

"I hope so, my lord."

* * *

Three weeks later, Annabeth had been adjusting surprisingly well to her new life at the Phantomhive estate. Luckily, they made a maid outfit that would cover her neck, so that her scars wouldn't show. She also became close friends with Mey-Rin, Baldroy, and Finny, and they all taught her some useful tips and tricks. Of course, Mey-Rin taught her how to clean the house and Annabeth seemed to actually be less clumsy than her, even catching her when she was about to trip on her own shoelaces. Baldroy taught her a few things about cooking, minus the flamethrower, and she was able to try different foods she wouldn't have tasted other than here. Finny taught her some things about gardening and the beauty of it. Lilliana taught her how to act in front of the master and proper etiquette. Surprisingly, being here was better than she expected. It was liberating for someone like her and she took advantage of it all.

However, as the third week came around, the atmosphere seemed to change. Ciel and Sebastian seemed to be more . . . in lack of a better term, calculating. Lilliana seemed to be . . . nervous about something, but Annabeth wasn't sure what. The three servants were none-the-wiser to what was going to happen today.

Annabeth was serving tea to Ciel in the drawing room while Sebastian cut a slice of the Gingerbread cake to serve to their young master. They were expecting a guest, but she didn't know who it was. No one would tell her. However, before he could take a bite of the cake, they heard a knock on the door. "Oh, that must be him. Sebastian, open the door."

"Of course," he said as he left their side. Annabeth was curious to see who the guest was, but Ciel let out a little chuckle. During her stay, she noticed one thing about him: if he's chuckling, then there was a game to be played. Soon, Sebastian opened the door to the drawing room and in came him along with another gentleman with a husky figure, salt-and-pepper hair, and wearing a grey tuxedo. His smirk was something even more sinister than Annabeth had ever seen on either Ciel or Sebastian.

"Ah, young Earl Phantomhive! It has been so long," the older man said as he entered the room.

"Yes it has. I have to introduce you to my newest servant," Ciel said as he gestured her. "This is my newest maid: Annabeth Phoenix."

She bowed at the man as she said, "Nice to meet you." However, his grin grew wider at the sight of her. She grew a bit worried by the expression.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Phoenix," he said as he grabbed her hand and kissed it, like a gentleman. She blushed at the contact and quickly pulled it back. He chuckled as he said, "Such an innocent girl."

"Annabeth, this is the head of the most prestigious diamond mining company in the world: Lord Kelvin Montague," Ciel said.

"It is a pleasure to meet a woman with such beauty as yours," he said, making her giggle a bit.

"He has been looking for his wife for some time now, but unfortunately, he has no idea where she could be. He's been very depressed for the last year and was hoping that adding a feminine touch to his manor would bring happiness back to the manor."

"Mind filling that need, my dear?"

Annabeth blushed a deeper shade of red, but said, "I'm sorry, but I have an obligation to the Phantomhives."

"Oh, well, that's disappointing," Kelvin said as he walked to the young Earl. "Though, I am not here for just pleasantries; I'm here to discuss business."

"Of course. Sebastian, Annabeth, you're free to leave," Ciel said.

"Yes, my lord," they said in unison as they left the room.

As the two servants left the room, Kelvin asked, "Well, you weren't kidding; you really _do_ have Mary."

"Why would I lie to an old friend?"

"So . . . when do I get her back?" he asked with a perverse grin.

"I don't remember agreeing to such a deal."

"What?! You said you would help me find my wife," he said in an angry tone.

"Yes, that was our agreement and in return, you would provide me a share of your company. I have filled my end of the bargain; I _found_ your wife and she is now working for me. You never said anything about bringing her back to you."

Kelvin chuckled. "You really are a villainous noble, aren't you? Fine, you're right. At least I know that she's here and I can woo her here if I please."

"I'm sorry to say, Lord Montague, but you must not be seen wooing my servants. It wouldn't be great for our reputation to let a scandal such as well-known as yours to infect ours."

"But she is my wife! To have her live in another man's house would already be damaging to your reputation, even if you are as young as you are."

"Still, it's clear that she doesn't want to be with you, even as her new persona. She is no longer Mary Welsh. She is Annabeth Phoenix."

Kelvin sighed, but said, "I guess you're right, but she'll come back to me. I just know it."

"Why would you want her anyway? I mean, you had your many women to fool around with even when she was with you. Why want her now?"

"Well, I'm not the young man I used to be. Not that many women want to be with a man my age and my nights have been very lonely. I would like her on her side of my bed again."

"Still, she is _my_ servant and mine alone. Her loyalty lies with us and us alone. Unless she chooses otherwise, she will stay with me," Ciel said sternly.

Kelvin scoffed, but said, "You don't play fair."

"Naturally. Children love games and this one should be _very_ interesting."

* * *

That night, Lilliana was collecting her nightly quota of souls, but a lot has been on her mind. Ever since the Campania incident, there has been a demand for Adrian Crevan's capture so he could be further interrogated about that night. She feared that if they found him, they would find enough evidence to exterminate him. She would hate for that to happen to a friend as close as him. Even though she didn't agree with what he did, he was the only one that treated her like a regular Grim Reaper. When the world abandoned her, he was there for her and formed her into the Reaper she was today.

After collecting the soul of a young man who died of influenza, she realized how close she was to the Undertaker's funeral parlor. She looked at her next file and saw that her next assignment wasn't due for another hour, so she could visit him. She roof-jumped to the parlor for a while until she finally managed to reach it. She took a deep breath as she opened the door, allowing the little bell to ring, but to her surprise, he wasn't there to greet her. "Undertaker, are you here?" Of course he would be here; it would be locked otherwise. Why does everyone ask that? However, she didn't receive a response. "Undertaker," she repeated, a little louder, but still received no response. Could he be asleep now? It seemed far-fetched, but she might as well check. She went into the back to climb the stairs, but saw the dark figured hunched over on his dining table, munching away on his biscuits. "Undertaker!"

He finally turned around and saw her standing in the doorway. "Sorry, Lilliana. I didn't hear you come in," he said in an unusually sad tone.

"How? That bell is pretty loud."

"I just . . . have a lot on my mind," he said as he took another bite of the biscuit.

Her eyes widened with surprise. She had never seen him like this before and it was actually . . . heartbreaking. "Wow. Annabeth really means that much to you?"

"I'm just worried about her staying there. How is she handling things?"

"Good; she's learned so much already and has become close friends with the other servants."

"That's good to hear. And master butler? He hasn't . . . ,"

She chuckled. "You'd honestly think I would let him?"

"True, my dear. He-he, you can be quite the jealous woman," he said in his usual tone. She was glad to hear it again, even if it had to come with that comment.

She playfully rolled her eyes. "I'm not jealous. I just know how he is and stop him."

"Because you're jealous."

"Oh shut it," she said, making him laugh.

"Ha ha! Oh, that was funny," he said in between laughs. However, when he was finally done, he continued, "Can I ask a favor of you, Lily?"

She arched her eyebrow as she said, "What?"

"Would you mind taking me to the manor so I can check on her?"

"It's the middle of night. She would probably like her rest and you do realize that you can visit her anytime you like, right?"

"I know, but I want to surprise her."

She sighed, but said, "Fine."

* * *

The two Reapers finally reached the manor, but they had to be quiet as they opened the window leading to the hallway by the servants' rooms. Luckily, it was easy for them to do so and they reached the ladies' room. "Mind you that Mey-Rin is in there too, so you can't make a lot of noise," Lilliana warned. "Plus, she is an excellent shot without her glasses and if she sees a random man in the room, she will shoot you."

"Understood," he said as the two of them quietly opened the door. The first person they saw was Mey-Rin, but luckily for them, she was moderately snoring, so there was a little buffer for any noise they or Annabeth might make. Adrian came in quietly as he tried to find her bed, but Lilliana sensed something was wrong. Adrian found her bed with something on it, covered by sheets.

"She's not here," she said.

"What do you mean? She's right there," he said as he uncovered the sheets, but to his surprise, it was only pillows. "What the hell?!"

"Her scent is gone and I didn't sense her. Where the hell is she?" The two Grim Reapers frantically looked all over for her, but they couldn't find her anywhere. Adrian was very worried for her, but Lilliana, for some reason, seemed to share the exact same worry. "She's not here either," she said as she looked in the final room.

"Then where is she?" he asked frantically.

"They said they weren't going to hand her over to him," she said under her breath, but he heard her.

"Hand her over? You mean that those two idiots sold her to someone else?!" he said angrily, frightening Lilliana.

"No, no, no! They wouldn't that since it's _you_ they would have to deal with. However, they _did_ invite . . . Lord Kelvin Montague here earlier today," she said reluctantly.

"What?! What were they trying to accomplish by bringing that man here?!"

"Ciel wanted a share of his company and luckily for him, Montague would do anything to get his wife back. However, since he was also made a deal with you, he has agreed to _find_ his wife. Well, that contract is fulfilled and Lord Montague can't do anything to her."

"So she happened to disappear when he arrived?"

Lilliana looked at her file and sighed. "Well, we might as well check his estate. Guess who my next assignment is."

* * *

Annabeth woke up in the middle of the night with a cough. I guess it was time to drink out of the bottle. However, as she stretched her stiff limbs, she realized something was off: she wasn't in her room. Mey-Rin wasn't anywhere in sight and the room looked more . . . lavish. "Did I accidentally sleep in the wrong room?" she asked herself. However, as she got up from the bed, she heard the doorknob turn. She didn't dare make a move as the door opened and she was shocked to see who it was.

Kelvin looked in surprise as he said, "How the hell did you get here?" However, his tone changed as he continued, "I told that brat that you would come to me."

"Lord Montague?! I didn't realize you were staying at the Phantomhive estate," she said as she quickly got off the bed and straightened her maid outfit.

"Oh, my dear, I think you are mistaken. You are in _my_ estate," he said with a wicked grin as he got closer to her. "Though, this works out just fine for us."

"What are you talking about?" she said as she walked away from him, but he soon cornered her to a wall and put his arms on either side of her so she wouldn't escape.

"My dear wife, Mary, you've finally returned to me! This past year has been a living hell without you. I mean, how am I supposed to think that my dear wife, who let me sleep with my mistresses, would actually flee from me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said in a frantic tone.

"Stop pretending! You may be Annabeth over there, but you are Mary Montague in my presence and this time, I won't let you escape. You're mine," he said before commenting, "I always hated that natural color hair on you. After tonight, I'm dying your hair brunette, just like old times."

"I seriously have no idea what you're talking about! Let me go," she practically yelled, but he covered her mouth with his hand.

"Such a little troublemaker you are, my dear. Feigning amnesia will get you nowhere. You are my wife and no one else can have you. Besides, I was generous enough to not take you on our wedding night as you requested, but tonight, things are going to be different. I need a release and since I've found you, I can't wait anymore."

"Somebody help me," she tried to say through his hand, but it was muffled.

"Try all you want, but tonight, I will have you," he said as he tried to drag her to the bed, but before he could, a gunshot was heard and some blood splattered on her. Soon, Kelvin fell to the ground, revealing a single wound on his head.

Annabeth shrieked in horror, but heard a cockney voice say, "Shut your bloody trap!" She turned her head and saw a woman with brunette hair, brown eyes, and wearing a maid outfit, but she held a gun in her hand. Annabeth didn't know whether to thank her for saving her or be terrified. However, that question was answered.

"That bloody bastard said he loved me and no one else. He said he was only trying to find his wife because he was sick of the controversy around his name. To think I ever fell for that liar," the woman said.

"Thank you," Annabeth said kindly, but the woman aimed the gun toward her.

"Oh, you think I did that for you, bitch? Ha, you must be kidding. I only brought you here because I wanted to test how much he wanted to defile you. Since we haven't had sex in a long time, I was wondering if he was getting weary of me. Apparently, he was since he tried to rape you."

"Wait, _you_ brought me here?"

"Yes for that and another reason: I wanted to finish the job. Apparently, stabbing you thirteen times wasn't enough to kill you! How the hell is that possible? I stabbed you in your neck and chest!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you an idiot or do you not recognize me? I'm the woman who tried to kill you in Whitechapel!" Annabeth's mouth couldn't be any wider with the news she just received. So this woman tried to kill her . . . or actually, she _did_ kill her. "And you have the nerve to show your face in front of that debauched man! You really are just a special type of stupid!"

"No, you've got it all wrong! I'm not the woman you think I am," she said, trying to save her life.

"You think I'm stupid! I know who you are, Mary Welch. I'm afraid I have to finish the job since neither of you deserve to live," she said as she cocked the gun. "Sorry, but it needs to be done." However, as she shot the gun, a large blade ripped through her body. Blood was rushing out of her to the floor and she fell with a thud, more blood pouring out onto the floor. Annabeth was terrified by the sight, but saw who her savior was.

"Adrian!" she yelled as she ran to him and hugged him.

"Annabeth, are you all right?" he asked frantically as he put his arms around her, hugging her very tightly.

"Yes, I'm all right," she said as she began to cry on his shoulder. She may have been physically all right, but the experience was traumatic.

"Wait for me," Lilliana said as she finally entered the room, but the scene laid out was different than what she imaged. Her eyes turned red with all the blood in the room. Not only was Kelvin dead, but also the woman that killed him. She looked at her file again, but nothing was adding up. "Only Kelvin Montague was supposed to die tonight, not his mistress, Clarice Jinule." However, she noticed the wound on her body and the blood on Undertaker's Death Scythe. "Wait, you . . . killed her?"

"She was going to hurt her! What was I suppose to do?" he asked.

"How about not kill her? You realize you made things more complicated for me? It's bad enough that I have to cover this all up by taking assignments relating to Mary Welch, but she wasn't on the To-Die list, meaning only a deity could have killed her. What am I supposed to put on my report?" she said rather angrily.

"You could just not collect her soul," Adrian suggested, not letting go of his Annabeth, who was calming down.

"And how do you think William is going to react when he learns about the unclaimed soul? He'll think I devoured it and send me back to rehabilitation! Lucifer dammit," she said as she walked over to Kelvin and began collecting his soul. She sighed as she said, "I'll say that a Rogue demon killed her. It's not too far-fetched, but I managed to fight . . . her . . . and claim the soul before she could devour it."

"Why 'her'?"

"Female demons are a lot more dangerous than male ones could ever be. I should know," she said as she walked over to Clarice's body. She looked at her Cinematic Record and saw something very interesting. "Oh, she was a Demon-worshipper. Perfect! Apparently, she tried to summon one, but her attempts never succeeded. Let's just say that her last time did," she said before finishing up. "However, in order to sell this story, I need some battle scars," she said before slicing her arm with her own Death Scythe, saying a word that Annabeth wouldn't dare repeat.

"Lily, you don't have to do that! You're an excellent fighter, so you could get away with-,"

"I've fought female demons before and I've never had one battle where I didn't leave with at least one gash on me. ( _Censored_ )ing hell! That ( _censored_ )ing hurts!"

"I really would like it if you didn't swear in front of Annabeth," Adrian said.

"I'm sorry, but you would be cussing too."

"Why don't you just say that a male demon attacked you and save the trouble," Annabeth asked, finally catching on to the conversation, but one thing was entrancing her. She was coughing earlier, so the sight of Reaper blood caught her attention.

"Then there would be two possible targets: my brother and Sebastian. I don't want either of them hurt because of something they didn't do."

"Why would you do all this for Undertaker?"

Lilliana sighed as she said, "He's a dear friend of mine. I . . . I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him," she said, but as she looked at Annabeth, but noticed something red on her dress. "Wait, did you get shot?"

"What?!" Adrian and Annabeth said frantically as Lilliana walked toward her to get a closer look. She felt the wound through the cloth and was surprised.

"You _did_ get shot and you didn't feel a thing?"

"N-No, I don't," she said as she reached inside her shirt to feel the wound and was frantic. "I-I-I got shot! How is that possible?"

"Well, you _are_ a doll. Maybe like the others, you can survive gunshots and knife wounds."

"Others?" she asked.

"I . . . I think I should leave you two alone," she said as she left their side to avoid saying anything she shouldn't.

Annabeth looked at Adrian, who was a little worried about Lilliana leaving, but she couldn't pinpoint why. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, it's just I'm worried that we could be caught by her superiors."

"You killed her to protect me . . . I couldn't be more grateful."

"But you got shot!"

"It's fine! I don't feel any pain, but . . . ," she said timidly.

"It must have been traumatic for you. I should have never let you out of my sight. None of this would have happened."

"It's not your fault. You couldn't have known. Besides, you're here now and that's all that matters," she said as she hugged him again.

He sighed as he said, "Let's go home." She smiled as he guided her away from the bloody mess they left behind.

After a while, when the coast was clear, Clarice's body began to move on its own. It got up and started coughing up blood. "Damn Grim Reaper! That cut was pretty deep. I've lost my host." The body began to stand up on its own, but very wobbly. "Though, I found a human brought back from the dead. I've never seen such a miracle in my life." Soon, it started walking to dead Kelvin and smiled. "It's funny that Lily mentioned a _female_ demon . . . because that's exactly what she's about to encounter."


	5. Their Secret

Lilliana finally finished up her report about Lord Kelvin Montague and Clarice Jinule at the Reaper Association Headquarters. It was already early morning when she finished and she was exhausted. In a couple of hours, she would have to wake up the young master and work as a maid. She sighed in exhaustion as she finally put the report together and headed to put them on William's desk. He may have a locked door, but she always had a Bobby pin to unlock it if needed. However, she noticed that his door was opened ajar, which was an unusual sight. She peaked through and saw that William was working as well. This late at night? He was a man who hated overtime as much as the rest of the Reapers, if not more so. She was forced to work late because of her schedule. Why was he still here? She knocked on the doorway to get his attention. He looked up and asked, "Finally done?"

"Yes," she said, ready to ask why he was there, but he noticed the blood on her sleeve and his stern expression turned to one of worry.

"Are you all right?" he asked as he got up from his chair to help her.

"Oh, it's fine. I just had an encounter with a demon," she said as she handed him the paperwork, trying to avoid further discussion. He took it from her hand, but pulled up her sleeve to see the wound. However, she already had it all wrapped it before arriving to the building, so he couldn't see it. He then pulled her sleeve down and began to read the report. After a while, his eyebrow arched as he read the end.

"So, you encountered a female demon?"

"Y-Yeah. She was a vicious little bitch, but I managed to damage her pretty badly," she lied very convincingly, but even a good liar like her could be figured out easily by him.

"And she killed Ms. Jinule?"

"Yep."

"And you have no idea who she is?"

"Nope. She has blue hair and eyes, but other than that, I don't know a thing about her," she said without hesitation. Although there were many female demons to choose from, there was only one who is known for vicious attacks; a demon she hoped to never see again.

"Anything else to report? It says that Clarice killed Kelvin Montague before he had a chance to have his way with Ms. Annabeth Phoenix. Did this girl witness the fight, might I ask?"

"No, she ran away screaming after she saw Clarice get killed."

"That's an interesting name, isn't it? Annabeth Phoenix."

"Yeah, that's true," she said in a tone signaling she wanted to leave as soon as possible so he could stop asking these questions.

"Well, then," he said as he finished the paperwork. "You can go home now."

"Thank you," she said as she left his side.

He sighed as he closed the door. "It's not like her to not know the name of a demon. Whenever any of us encounter one of those noxious beasts, we always go to her since she seemed to know them all. After all, she was practically raised by them."

* * *

The next morning, Adrian started making his biscuits downstairs, waiting for Annabeth to come down. He didn't want to wake her since she needed her rest after such a traumatic experience. She witnessed two people get killed right in front of her eyes, one by him. What was she suppose to think after that; the man who gave her life can easily take it away like that? She must be terrified. Plus, he was worried that Lilliana's report would expose them. He trusted that she was on their side, but she feared that the other Reapers would catch on, especially Ronald and Grell. Granted, she is a gifted liar, but one mistake could lead to their discovery. Just the thought of losing Annabeth for good terrified him.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming downstairs and quickly got up. He then saw his dear Annabeth, but it was clear that she had cried herself to sleep. "Oh, my dear, are you all right?" he asked as he walked to her. Luckily for him, she didn't flinch when he put his arms around her for a hug. He feared that she would pull back out of fear, but she didn't. In fact, she held on to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a nightmare about last night. I dreamed that the woman was engulfed in blue flames and has blood-red eyes, ready to kill me," she said, trying to hold back tears.

"It's all right. That woman is dead and can't hurt you anymore," he said comfortingly, stroking her hair with his hand.

"She was the one who killed me, Adrian. She said wanted to 'finish the job'. That's why I was there."

"No, she isn't, my dear."

Annabeth looked at him with shocked eyes as she said, "What?"

"Clarice Jinule did not kill you. Trust me."

"How would you know that?"

"Because you were not on the To-Die list, a list of souls scheduled to die that are later collected by Grim Reapers. Your name was not on the list since no Grim Reaper attempted to claim your soul after you died," he said as he set her down on a chair.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that . . . you were killed by a deity. That's the only explanation I can give at the moment."

"A deity? You mean like Reapers and demons?"

"And angels, but I doubt one would kill you." So, they do exist! "Though, what purpose would a deity have in killing you?"

"I don't know, but thank you again for saving my life," she said before she started coughing.

"Not again," he said. "Do you have the bottle with you?"

"No I don't," she said. Luckily, she was just beginning her degeneration, so she wouldn't be coughing too much. "The bottle is in my room back at the manor." Adrian sighed as he grabbed a knife from a drawer and slit his wrist. With surprise, she asked, "What are you doing?!"

"You need my blood, correct? I don't want the young lord and his butler to think you are dying and put you down. Besides, a cut like this will heal very quickly."

"A-All right," she said as she grabbed his wrist and began licking the blood off. He had to hold back some giggles since for some reason, his wrist was one of his ticklish spots and it was even more ticklish with her tongue caressing his skin. Luckily for him, his wound healed fast and she stopped licking his blood. She pulled her head back and he wiped his wrist with a napkin. She grabbed the napkin and cleaned off her lips, but was surprised when she received a kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome. Also, I've neglected to do fulfill my promise to you for three weeks. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, but if you don't mind . . . can I have one on the lips again," she asked innocently. His eyes widened with surprise by the request. "I know it's a lot to ask, especially after you said it's only reserved for people who love each other, but . . . I feel like I deserve it now more than ever."

"But . . . ," he said in shock. He was surprised she would ask that, especially after last night. If he or Clarice didn't stop Kelvin . . .

"Please, Adrian," she said as she pushed back his bangs so she could look into his eyes. How could he deny her? He hoped she didn't use this tactic since he knew once he saw her eyes perfectly clear, he couldn't say no to them.

"Fine," he said. She smiled as she giddily got up from her chair. He sighed as he got closer to her, holding her in his arms yet again. She closed her eyes as she puckered his lips and he did the same, but before their lips could touch, they heard a knock on their door. They quickly pulled back as they heard the door open and the bell ringing.

"Undertaker, are you here?" Ciel's voice asked from the room.

"In a minute, my lord," he said as he put a finger to his lips, signaling for her to be quiet.

"And would you mind bringing Annabeth along with you? We need to speak to both of you." Dammit. The two of them walked to the front of the shop and saw Ciel and Sebastian, but not Lilliana. They were both scared that they were going to get in trouble with the young lord since Adrian took her instead of bringing her back to the manor, but that would be the least or their problems.

"So, I'm guessing that Ms. Kiliamo told you she would be here," Undertaker said with a grin.

"Actually, no. She went straight to work after last night's incident and just returned. She's resting as of now," Sebastian said.

"It's already nine in the morning. She would be awake by now," Ciel stated as he looked at a clock.

"Indeed, but she has had a long night. After all, she didn't arrive back until a couple of hours ago. I will have to wake her when we return."

"What are you, her father? She can wake herself up! If she's still asleep when we return, we will need to punish her. Am I clear?"

"Of course, my lord," he said with a bow.

"What was it that you wanted to speak with us about?" Annabeth asked.

"We were certain that you would come here after last night, but we didn't expect to see the mess."

"The mess?"

"We followed the Undertaker and Lilliana to the Montague estate and found the body of Lord Montague in his bed chambers. Quite a bloody scene you left behind," Ciel said with a cocky smile.

"I-I didn't do it! It was his mistress. Her body should be there too," she said.

" _Her_ body? There was only one body there. Though, there was a large bloodstain on the floor away from Lord Montague. However, a body can't just move on its own."

"But his mistress was there! She killed him and was about to kill me too, but . . . ," she said before growing quiet. She didn't want to just say that Adrian killed her. How would they react? If Lilliana reacted rashly last night, how would they react to the death of an old friend of the young master?

"We know that you didn't do it. We never suspected that in the first place," Ciel said, leaving Annabeth perplexed. "He was a man known to sleep with many women, even while he was married. His scandal was known throughout the noble social circles, but I never paid attention to them. What _did_ catch my attention was his underground business as the most notorious drug smuggler in the European continent. He covered it up by hiding it among his diamond shipments, but thanks to Lau, we learned of his side business. The Queen has been concerned with the spike of drug-related crimes and wanted me to dispose of her worries. Naturally, he was a threat that we had to get rid of, but with your reappearance, I thought I would play a game with him."

"You mean you wanted her to be in harm's way for your little game?!" Undertaker asked angrily.

"Of course not. We knew that he was going to die last night thanks to our otherworldly connections."

"But Grim Reapers aren't supposed to reveal such details."

"Well, Lilliana is different from other Grim Reapers, isn't she? As long as she is with us, she can live the way she wants and not conform to Reaper Law," Sebastian said.

"So you use her for your personal gain. You are quite the demon aren't you, Michaelis?"

"No, you see, I am merely one hell of a butler," he said with a smirk.

"Anyway, we invited Lord Montague to come to the estate yesterday so we could see if he was the licentious man that everyone said he was. By bringing back the woman he lost, we waited to see how he would react. We thought about handing her over to him, but based off of his statements, we knew that he wouldn't treat her with any kindness if we returned her. We knew that she wouldn't be in harm's way anyway because we knew Lilliana would be the one to collect his soul. She would stop any further harm to Annabeth before-," Ciel said, but was stopped.

"But she was shot," he stated. The duo looked at him with confusion on their faces. "Lilliana wasn't there to stop her in time. If I wasn't there, she could have been in more pain than she ought to have."

"Ms. Phoenix, you _did_ get shot?" Sebastian asked for clarification.

"Yes, but the wound is almost completely healed now," she said, leaving them in deeper confusion.

"So, she can regenerate just like a deity," Ciel whispered to Sebastian's ear.

"Apparently, so if she were to go out of control for any reason, she would be even harder to kill," he whispered back.

Ciel cleared his throat as he asked, "Well, if she got shot, then I have to ask what became of his mistress?"

"I . . . I disposed of her," Undertaker said reluctantly. All of them were surprised he would confess so easily. Not even a hint of a lie. "And Lilliana collected her soul."

"And you do realize the consequence of a Grim Reaper killing someone not on the To-Die list?" Sebastian asked.

"Oh, spare me the lecture! I heard it all from Lilliana last night. Plus, I know what happens through her and Grell Sutcliff. Though, I don't think they would just rehabilitate me after everything that happened on the Campania," he said with an eerie giggle.

"Well, even though you are becoming more and more of a pest, your connections and information are quite useful, so I don't want to get rid of you that easily. We shall keep your secret for a little while longer. However, we will be taking her back to the estate. Say your goodbyes," Ciel said.

"I shall prepare the carriage," Sebastian said as he left their side and out the shop. On the driver's seat of carriage, there was a birdcage with a pigeon inside. "All right, Lilliana said that if I needed to send a message to a Grim Reaper, you would do that for me," he said to the pigeon as he set it free from the cage. "Bring this to Lilliana. She may be asleep, but do whatever it takes to wake her up," he said as he tied a little piece of paper on its leg. The pigeon cooed as it flew out of his arm and into the air. Soon, he held the door open as Ciel and Annabeth exited out of the shop with Undertaker leaning against the doorway.

"You better take better care of her. If anything bad happens to her again, I might not let you leave without punishment," he said.

"Understood," Ciel said as the two of them entered the carriage. Annabeth looked sad when the door closed since she was stolen from her little intimate moment with Adrian. Although it should mean nothing, it was still something special between them. She might never be able to experience the true meaning of a kiss, but . . . she just wanted to feel the sensation of kissing someone. It felt so exhilarating the last time they kissed and she just wanted to feel it again. She looked out the window and noticed him wave as the carriage started moving. She smiled as she waved back until he was out of her sight.

* * *

 ** _Tap, tap, tap._** The pigeon kept pecking its beak on the glass of Lilliana's window, but she just ignored it. "Shut up," she said softly as she kept tossing and turning, trying to fall back to sleep. She only had about three hours of sleep, so she wanted to get as much as she could before she had to get up. However, the pigeon didn't cease in its pecking. "Shut the hell up," she said as she put the pillow on her head, trying to muffle the noise, but instead of complying, the pigeon pecked its beak as hard as it could without hurting itself. She sighed as she finally got out of bed, not in a nightgown, but still in her Reaper uniform, and finally opened the window. "What?!" she yelled at the bird, but she noticed the note on its leg. "Oh, sorry little guy," she said as she untied the piece of paper and petted the bird. Though, as it flew away, she had a sense that she had made it angry and quickly shut the window before it had a chance to possibly nosedive toward her. "I doubt anyone at work would want me at this hour," she said to herself as she unfolded the piece of paper, but smiled when she saw who it was from.

 _Good Morning,_

 _I'm sending you this because the young master and I are currently retuning to the manor with Ms. Phoenix. He wants you up before we get there or else he will have to punish you . . . or I will. Though, I bet you would love that, wouldn't you? Still, whatever the young master orders, I have to do it, against your will or not. Anyway, today's breakfast is poached salmon with blueberry scones. If Baldroy hasn't burned them yet, would you kindly make them for the young master? I am sure it will be to his liking. I just hope you'll be awake to prepare it. I shall see you soon._

 _Sebastian_

Lilliana smiled. "So he's finally used the pigeon. About time." She looked at the clock and said, "They should be back within the hour. Better go make breakfast." She quickly changed into her maid outfit and went downstairs to the kitchen. Luckily for her, Baldroy had already started making the poached salmon and scones, much to her surprise. However, like usual, he was about to use a flamethrower, but she cleared her throat. He saw her and quickly hid the flamethrower behind his back.

"Mornin' Lilliana. I was just-," he said with an innocent smile.

"Making a mess, or at least you would be if I didn't get up from bed. I'll take care of things," she said as she took over the kitchen.

"Tch, you and Sebastian are the same; you don't let me show off my cooking abilities."

"Oh we do, but then you burn down the place."

"At least Annabeth thinks my cooking is good."

"I bet she does since she's always up for trying new things," she said as she miraculously finished cooking the food.

"How?" he asked in confusion.

"See, you can accomplish a lot without a flamethrower," she said as she placed the food on plates and then on the cart. "Now, I give you freedom to cook for the servants."

"Sure thing," he said as he got to cooking. She set the food on the dining room table just in time for the door to open. Soon, she saw the three of them enter the dining room and she smiled.

"Good morning, young master. I see that you had a safe trip," she said. "Today's breakfast is poached salmon with some blueberry scones to accompany it."

"I'm glad to see you are awake. If you weren't, I was afraid we would have to punish you," Ciel said as he sat down in his chair and began to eat.

"So, I guess everything turned out the way you wanted, young master?"

"Yes. The drug threat is eliminated and Annabeth is all right, thanks to you," Sebastian said.

She smiled. "You're welcome." However, she noticed Annabeth's sad expression and walked up to her. "Are you all right, dearie?"

"I-I'm fine," she said with a sad tone.

"Well, you should get back to work. I'll guide you to your room so you can change. There is still some blood on you," she said as she guided her way out the dining hall and into the servants' quarters. They quietly walked past the servants' dining room, where the other three servants were eating their breakfast. Soon, they reached the women's room and Lilliana said, "All right, I'll be right out here."

"All right," she said as she walked into the room and closed the door. She walked to the closet and grabbed the dress to the farthest left. Her clothes were on the left while Mey-Rin's was on the right, but the closet was pretty huge, so even their regular clothes could fit as well. She walked to the mirror and shimmied out of her dress. As she was about to put on the new one, she finally saw the gunshot wound, but it actually looked like it was healed already. It wasn't an open wound anymore, but only a scar. She put her fingers on it and put a little pressure on it, but it didn't even sting. It was almost as if she was never shot in the first place. What a relief. Though, she wished her knife scars would heal the same way. They were still visible even a month later. All thirteen of them, including the ones on her neck and chest. She sighed, but put on her dress.

She exited the room, but noticed that Lilliana wasn't there. Did she say she would be here? She may have been working for three weeks, but she is still not used to the layout of the manor. She started looking around for her fellow coworker, but after a while, she thought about giving up and looking for the other servants. However, she heard some moaning at the corner of the hallway. She walked toward the noise, frightened by what it could be, but when she reached the corner, she was surprised of what she witnessed.

It was Lilliana and Sebastian . . . kissing. And not just kissing . . . but making out. Their eyes were closed as they continued to passionately lock lips with each other and putting their hands all over each other. They seemed to ignore the fact that someone was watching them, but something about watching two people kiss just caught Annabeth's attention, but she didn't know why. He even held on to her lifted leg as they kissed even deeper than before. Annabeth didn't bother to stop them, but instead intently watched them, as if they were putting on a show. She took mental notes of what they were doing in case she had a chance to try this with Adrian.

Soon, Sebastian began to kiss Lilliana's neck and she moaned in pleasure, but as she opened her eyes, which were red with lust, she saw Annabeth and she shrieked. "What's wrong?" he asked before he saw her too and quickly pushed himself off her.

"Oh, Annabeth, w-w-we didn't see you there," Lilliana said as she quickly straightened up her maid outfit. Surprisingly, her eyes turned back green. Why the hell do they change color anyway? Sometimes they're green and other times, they're red. Why? "How the hell did you not sense her presence," she quietly yelled to Sebastian.

"I'm sorry that I was a bit distracted. Plus, why should I be the only one watching out for anyone? Don't you have the same power as me," he asked.

"Not as strong as you. I'm a Grim Reaper, not a demon."

"But you are quite the devilish Reaper, aren't you?"

"Are you two . . . a couple," Annabeth asked. If she was right, then that's what it looks when two people in love kiss each other. Quite . . . erotic.

The two of them sighed. There was no point in lying about what they were doing. "Well, I guess you could call us that," Lilliana said.

"The young master is not very tolerant on the idea of his butler having any distractions outside of work, including occasional intimate moments with a coworker. If he found out about this . . . then I don't know what he would do. (Chuckle) He would probably order me to kill her," Sebastian said.

"So, we have to be careful as to not alert anyone of our . . . moments. But don't you dare tell Ciel about this or I will ( _censored_ )ing kill you," Lilliana said.

"I-I-I promise I won't tell! I swear," she said with a frightened tone. "But are you two in love?"

The two deities laughed at her question. "Are you serious? Grim Reapers can't fall in love," Lilliana said.

"And demons are foreign to such a feeling," Sebastian said. Annabeth pouted at the response. So, they too defiled the meaning of a kiss since they weren't in love. But they seemed to be really into it for two people that weren't in love. Also, the thought of Adrian, a Grim Reaper, not being able to fall in love made her . . . very sad. She hoped he would fall in love with someone one day, but according to her, it would be impossible. Poor guy.

"All right. Now, we should get back to the dining room before the young master realizes how long we've been gone," Lilliana said as she was about to guide Annabeth back, but Sebastian stopped them.

"That won't be necessary. I've already cleaned up after the young master. Why else do you think I came here?" he said with a smirk. "He will be in the study, waiting for his geography lesson. While he's doing that, I have some chores I want the two of you to do."


	6. Her Matchmakers

A couple of days after the incident, Annabeth continued to work at the manor, but she had been very distracted lately. True, she was getting all her work done in a timely fashion, but when she had free time, she would try to find Lilliana and Sebastian. Why? Well, she wanted to watch them kiss. She was denied a kiss from Adrian, so she had been craving it since she left and seeing the two deities kiss was kind of . . . erotic. Nothing to put her panties in a twist, but it was still one hell of a show. For two people who weren't in love, they sure kiss passionately. Still, she couldn't watch much of that show since, no matter how sneaky she was, they would always catch her. The first time, she only watched them through a crack in a door, but Sebastian sensed her and they stopped immediately. The second time, she actually watched them through a window. The third time was the creepiest: she hid in the closet in their room ( _they actually shared a room and a bed?!_ ), but before they even started to kiss, they found her out.

"I can't take it anymore," Lilliana practically yelled as she helped Sebastian make a delicious lunch for their young master. "She has been watching us every chance she gets. I just want to kiss in peace! Is that too much to ask?!"

"I feel the same, but there is nothing we can do. We cannot scare her in fear that she might get the Undertaker involved," Sebastian said, but was startled by a hug from behind. Lilliana wasn't really the affectionate type, so this was a surprise to him.

"I'm just frustrated, that's all. We can't kiss anymore and it's irritating me so much! Plus, if she keeps watching us as intently as she does, how are we supposed to have sex?" she asked as she stroked his hair with her fingers.

"We can't, plain and simple."

"This wouldn't have happened if you didn't seduce me in the hallway."

"You could have said no."

"But you have a demon's tongue," she said as she kissed his cheek. However, they both heard a hiss from somewhere in the kitchen and they looked to find that a rat had just been eaten alive by a snake, but not just any snake. Lilliana sighed as she let go of Sebastian and walked to a collection of sound tubes that connected to every important room in the manor. She lifted one latch and said, "Snake, Emily is out again."

"You bothered to remember the names of his snakes?" he asked as he said set the finished food onto the cart.

"Well, I remember some of them. He's got too many to keep track."

"How long do you intend to keep Snake hidden from Annabeth? He and his snakes are growing weary of staying in their room all day."

"I wouldn't want to scare her if she ever saw them slithering around."

"I'm sure she'll get used to it like we all have," Sebastian said as he started heading out of the kitchen. She soon followed behind, but made sure to close the kitchen door so that Emily wouldn't be able to get out.

* * *

Annabeth was cleaning the drawing room, away from the kitchen and the dining room. After her last attempt of watching them kiss, she was too embarrassed to confront them. She had become so desperate to watch them kiss that she hid in a closet in their room. Yes, she was craving a kiss for a while, but she did not need to do _that._ She felt so ashamed that she didn't even want to see them for a while, hoping they would forgive her, but do deities know what forgiveness is? She doubted Sebastian would, but Lilliana was a Grim Reaper; she probably could. Well, as far as she knew, Grim Reapers were neutral beings who have no attachments to the human world. However, the two Grim Reapers she did meet seemed to be an exception to that. Lilliana was willing to look out for her even when she didn't have to and Adrian . . . he truly did care for her. A lot.

Soon, she heard a hiss from below her and looked down at her feet. Nearby, she saw a boa constrictor slithering toward her. Usually, a snake would be terrifying for most women, but Annabeth was different. She actually smiled as she crouched down to touch the snake. "Hello, little one. Are you lost?" She made sure to carefully and slowly put her hand out. She knew that this could be dangerous for her, but she wanted to feel the scales on the creature. "It's ok. I'm a friend. I won't hurt you." Surprisingly, it let her. There wasn't any signal of danger expressed in the snake's body movements. Almost like any other furry pet, it seemed to want her to pet it. "You have lovely scales." For some reason, she seemed to really like snakes. Dogs and cats were fine, but if she wanted a pet, she would love a snake.

"'Oscar, don't hurt the poor girl', says Emily," a young man with a feminine voice and white hair said as he approached them. He quickly picked up the boa and it coiled around his neck gently, but said in a more masculine voice, "'I wasn't going to harm her. She was surprisingly friendly to me', says Oscar."

"Um, hello, sir," Annabeth said. As she got a closer look at the man, she saw that he had snake scales on his face, which she found very unusual. Still, it made him unique and she smiled. "My name is Annabeth Phoenix."

There was an awkward pause, but the other silver snake looked at the man eye-to-eye. "'Well, aren't you going to introduce yourself' asks Emily," he seemed to say to himself, but he soon blushed by the comment. "'Ugh, it can't be helped. This chap here is named Snake. I'm Oscar and that lady over there is Emily. Pleasure to meet you', says Oscar."

Annabeth was confused as to why he was speaking like that, but she soon realized that he was actually translating what the snakes were saying. It was quite fascinating. "Hello Snake, nice to meet you."

"'Well, she's a friendly one, ain't she', says Oscar. 'She even petted me'."

"So are you a servant here? I've never seen you around the estate before."

"'Why yes, we're servants of the Phantomhives. We haven't been for a long time, unlike the others, but we've been here for a while', says Emily."

"Well, I've only started working about a month ago. You know the place better than me," she said with a chuckle. Snake chuckled as well.

"'So . . . how come you didn't run away when I approached you', asks Oscar."

"Well, I actually love snakes. They are probably my favorite animals."

Snake's eyes widened by the statement. "'There are actually people like you out there', asks Emily."

"Well of course. Snakes are just misunderstood creatures that get ridiculed for no reason. Just because they _look_ scary to some doesn't mean they _are_ scary to everyone."

"'You are the first person to ever say that to us', says Oscar."

"Well, I'm glad to make your day. However, I should get to work. It was nice meeting you," Annabeth said as she left his side and headed off to the next room she had to clean. Snake still had the dumbfounded expression on his face; he never thought he would meet a person who actually loved his snakes.

"'Snake. . . . Snake! Hey, wake up boy'!" Snake got out of his trance and turned toward Oscar. "'What are you looking at'?"

"'Oscar, I think that Snake might be in love with that girl'."

"'You do realize that she is out of your league, right'?"

"'Don't say stuff like that to the poor boy. He could have a shot with her if he believed in himself'."

"'I'm just trying to spare his feelings, Emily. I'm sure she has a boyfriend or someone like that'."

"Actually, she doesn't," Lilliana said out of nowhere, scaring both him and his snakes. "Talking to your snakes again, I see."

"'What do you want, Lily' asks Emily," Snake said in an embarrassed tone.

"I see that you met our newest member of the Phantomhive family."

"'Yes and she is quite a lovely young lass, isn't she', says Oscar. 'I dare say that Snake here might have a crush on her'."

Her eyes widened as she looked at Snake. "Is this true?" He didn't say anything, but his blushing cheeks gave it away. At first, she was going to say something to dissuade him from courting her, but the more she thought about it . . . she could use this to her advantage. "Well, she is a unique woman, isn't she?"

"'And why do you say that', asks Oscar."

"Well, she is _different_ from anyone I've ever met. There's just something about her that makes her so likable and I dare say that she is quite beautiful."

"'Lily, are you trying to hint at something', asks Emily."

"No, it's just that she may be all perky and happy on the outside, but I can tell that she wishes she could connect with someone. We are all friends here, but . . . I can tell that she doesn't feel like she belongs. If you could be a dearie, would you be that friend for her?"

"'No problem, right Snake', asks Oscar," Snake said before nodding.

"Thank you! I'm sure the two of you can get along easily," she said as she left their side. She smirked at herself for her plan. She figured out why Annabeth was watching them. It wasn't to get an erotic thrill, but it was because she wanted to feel someone kiss her. It didn't have to be a deep kiss, but something! She has probably never had her first kiss before, so watching them might have ignited something in her and she had been yearning it ever since. Plus, she knew that Snake would be the perfect person for this plan. If anyone was easily tempted, it was a person who craved a feeling of belonging.

* * *

Throughout the day, Snake, or really his snakes, we're trying to interact with Annabeth, but he was always too shy to say anything to her. Well, he already didn't talk much to begin with, but with her, he didn't even look at her without blushing or noticeably avoiding her. Annabeth wasn't offended by this since she knew he was shy, so she assumed he was like this with everyone. Lilliana anxiously watched the two interact, but was frustrated to see that Snake would not make a move on her. However, she did watch him talk to all his snakes, who all agree that he should at least talk to her. Luckily, she had the ability to communicate with certain animals, snakes included, so she discussed their plan to get the two together. Being raised by demons has some perks.

"This is getting frustrating! I've tried to convince him to talk to her many times, but he can't bring himself to do it," Bronte hissed.

"He is already a shy man, so I already expected him to not initiate anything," Wordsworth hissed.

"But he's not doing anything! It's clear he likes the girl, but he won't do anything. I bet she even knows," hissed Goethe.

"I know, but we've got to do something. Sebastian's and my patience are wearing thin with her watching us," Lilliana hissed.

"Oh right, you and Sebastian. Almost forgot about you two are together," Bronte hissed.

"And we'll keep it that way or you won't be getting your fill of rats for the next month."

"We know. So how do you advise getting the two together?" hissed Emily.

"We have to force them together somehow. I hoped I wouldn't have to do this, but I'm afraid I have no choice."

* * *

It was already evening when Lilliana and the snakes decided to initiate their plan. Once dinner was cleaned up and Ciel and Sebastian were in the study, Annabeth started to clean the dining hall, like Lilliana had ordered. As she started to clean, she noticed that near where Ciel was eating, there was a broken tea cup that was not cleaned up. How was that possible? Didn't Sebastian always clean up after his young master? Regardless, she needed a broom and dustpan. She walked out the room to a broom closet nearby. She tried to find the broom, but it seemed impossible to find.

Not too long after entering, she heard the door behind her open and she saw Snake, who was surprised to see her. "Oh, hello Snake . . . and Oscar, right?" she said with a smile.

"'Hey, she remembered me', says Oscar. 'Anyway, Lilliana told us to pick something up from this closet-'," he tried to finish, but before he could, the broom closet door closed on them. Snake tried to open the door, but it wouldn't open. On the other side, Lilliana was holding the door shut with her superhuman strength while the rest of the snakes listened.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked as she tried to open the door, but she couldn't. "How are we locked in? The lock is on the outside."

"'Ok, time to get this plan in action'," Snake translated, but his eyes widened with surprise after hearing what he said. "'Sorry Snake, but we got to do this. Ms. Phoenix, I hate to blunt about this, but Snake here has a little crush on you'." Snake tried to grab Oscar and shut his mouth, but he slithered away before he could. "'We are not leaving until you two at least kiss'."

"Wait, _we_?" Annabeth asked.

"'Yeah, all of us snakes and Lilliana are waiting for my cue to let you two out. Now kiss', says Oscar." Snake's cheeks reddened at the command and so did Annabeth's, but not as much as his.

"So, if we kiss, then you'll let us go?" Annabeth asked Snake . . . or really Oscar.

"'That's right, and don't go cheep by kissing him on the cheek. It has to be a kiss on the lips'." She looked at the scaled man and it was clear that he was very uncomfortable by all of this.

"Well, Snake. I don't think we have any other option," she said. Snake's eyes widened by her comment and he soon saw her pucker her lips, ready for a kiss.

"'Go on and kiss her'!" Snake was visibly sweating, but he reluctantly puckered his lips and slowly came closer to her. However, before he could even touch her lips, he freaked out and said in his own voice, "I can't do this." He then rushed to the door and banged on it repeatedly. "'( _Sigh_ ) I guess it can't be helped. Abort mission everyone; he's not going to do it', says Oscar." Soon, the door opened, revealing all of the snakes and Snake ran out of the closet like there was no tomorrow. As Oscar had said, Lilliana was there too, but she scurried off before Annabeth could ask what that was all about.

From down the hall, Sebastian had watched the entire show. It was interesting to see his Reaper lover speak with the snakes and try to help Annabeth with her problem. Lilliana already explained her reasoning behind the plan, but he knew that it wasn't going to work; Snake would not do something like that. She should have asked Baldroy or someone who was experienced with kissing women . . . like himself.

* * *

It was already night and Sebastian had finished putting the young master to bed. At this time, Lilliana was either preparing for her Reaper job or just left. That meant that the only people who were awake were him and the servants. However, he had tasked Annabeth with washing all the dishes since Bard and Mey-Rin were exhausted from the day's work. He was quiet as he entered the kitchen; what he was about to do would surely piss Lilliana off. She was washing the last dish when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She shrieked as she let go of the plate, but he caught it before it could shatter. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you," he said in his usual tone as he set the plate on the counter.

"No, it's fine. As long as the plate didn't break, everything's-," she tried to say, but she felt a hand on her hip and her cheeks grew red.

"I never noticed how lovely your figure is. I can see now why Lord Montague wanted you back. You have a beautiful body and this dress only emphasizes it," he whispered in her ear, making the hairs on her neck stand up.

"Um, Sebastian. I'm not comfortable with this," she said with an embarrassed tone, but he turned her around so they could see each other. She tried averting her eyes so she wouldn't see his devilish eyes, but he guided her face back to him with his fingers.

"And your skin is so lovely. It seems to not have any blemish on it, not even a scar."

"Well, I do, but-,"

"Really? Then where are they? Could one be here," he said as he slowly tried to lower the neckline of her dress. She tried stopping him, but he eventually pulled it down, revealing one of her many scars. "Despite the bullet wound healed miraculously fast, this one seems to stay, reminding you that you are more than just a human. You survived death and are still part of the living. You are a fascinating woman."

"Sebastian, I don't think Lilliana would-," she tried to say before he hushed her.

"Right now it's just you and me."

"But Adrian would kill you if he found out about this."

"Adrian? So you are special enough to him that he reveals his true name? Would you rather he kissed you instead?" Her cheeks grew a deeper shade of red at the question, which made his eyes widen in surprise. "Well, I may not be him, but I can offer you something that he hasn't give you," he said as he leaned in to try to kiss her, but before he could, he was swung in the face by a large metal object. He was utterly shocked by the sudden action and once he regained his composure, he saw that Lilliana, with red eyes, had just swung her Death Scythe at him. He was in trouble.

"What the ( _censored_ ) do you think you're ( _censored_ )ing doing," she practically yelled. She was clearly pissed by what she witnessed.

"You said she wanted a kiss. I was going to provide one to her," he tried to explain, but she angrily swung her Scythe at him again.

"And you thought that was the best way to do it?! By the way you were talking to her, I thought you wanted to ( _censored_ ) her. Lucifer dammit, Sebastian. First Beast and now this?!"

"I apologize for making you angry, but you practically forced Snake onto her. Isn't that just as bad?"

"How is that remotely similar?!"

"Well, you manipulated a person's emotions for your benefit and I'll admit that I was about to do the same. We both messed with people's emotions today. I can get away with it because I'm a demon. What's your excuse?"

Lilliana huffed, but soon lowered her Death Scythe and took a deep breath. However, her anger was still present. "You better make up for this."

"I promise," he said as he tried to kiss her, but she wasn't having any of it.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she stormed out the kitchen. However, before she left, she said to Annabeth, "If that mother( _censored_ ) does that to you again, I'll make sure I cut off his ( _censored_ ) and feed it to the snakes."

* * *

The next day, awkwardness filled the air. Annabeth was still uncomfortable by yesterday's events and couldn't really look Snake, Sebastian, or Lilliana in the eye. Snake couldn't look at her without racing out the room. Sebastian and Lilliana had tension between each other, especially after last night's ordeal and rightfully so. Lilliana was still pissed at Sebastian for what he did last night and he didn't seem to be too guilty for what he did. Demons don't feel those emotions, she figured. To add more gloominess to the atmosphere, a storm cloud surrounded the manor and soon, rain started pouring down.

However, as dinner hour arrived, there was a knock on the door. They were all surprised since they weren't expecting anyone at this hour, let alone in this weather. Lilliana and Sebastian hurried to answer the door, but once they opened it, they were surprised to see who was on the other side. "He-he, may I come in?" Undertaker said in soaked clothes and drenched hair.

"What in Hell possessed you to come here with weather like this?" Lilliana asked.

"I do recall the young lord saying that I could visit whenever I pleased, correct?" he asked with a giggle.

"But you had to come now?" Sebastian questioned.

"I have my reasons."

"Well, it's not like we can turn you away. I suppose you could join us for dinner while you're here," Sebastian said as he let his soaked guest come in. He was annoyed since he now had to clean the recently-cleaned carpet again, but Lilliana offered to take him to a guest room, where he could dry himself off. It was surprising that Annabeth wasn't there to answer the door with them, but she was busy cleaning a room on the other side of the manor. Still, Adrian was disappointed that he didn't see her immediately, but soon thought that he could surprise her.

Soon, dinner time arrived and tonight's dinner was chicken cordon bleu with honey roasted red potatoes on the side. Ciel and Undertaker took their seats at the table while Sebastian and Lilliana started to serve the guests, but there was a problem: where the hell was Annabeth? Undertaker had finished his meal when they realized that she wasn't around. They all waited patiently for her, but she never showed up. Suddenly, they heard a knock from the dining room door and saw that Wordsworth (Lilliana believed) had slithered in. "Sorry to keep you waiting, but I'm afraid that Annabeth got caught up talking to Snake and us. I do apologize," he hissed. "I shall retrieve her."

"Actually, tell her to bring towels to the second West Wing guest room. We're pretty much finished here," Lilliana hissed. Wordsworth seemed to bow as he slithered out the room to report the order.

"I didn't realize you could speak snake," Undertaker said with a giggle.

"Demons can speak with pretty much any animal of their choosing. Snake was just the easiest to learn being a Reaper and all."

"What exactly did you tell that snake?" Ciel asked as he finished the last bite of his potatoes.

"Well, I'm pretty sure Undertaker would like to clean up and retire for the night. I only asked that Annabeth should bring some towels for her dear friend."

"Oh, before I go to the guest room, would you mind doing me a favor?" Undertaker asked with a grin.

* * *

Annabeth was nervous about bringing towels to the guest room. After all, the last guest that came to the manor kidnapped her and tried to have his way with her. She wished she didn't have to do this, but she had to follow what Lilliana said. Snake offered to walk with her, but for some reason, Wordsworth told him not to, though he never told them why. Regardless, she kept a smile as she knocked on the guest room door. "Excuse me, sir," she said with a soft voice. However, she received no response. She knocked on the door and said, "Sir. I have your towels." Still, she received no response. "Is he not in there?" she asked herself. She thought it would be rude to enter unannounced, but she was told to bring the towels to the guest room. "I'm coming in," she said as she turned the doorknob, afraid to see what was on the other side. She braced herself as she entered the room, but to her relief, the guest wasn't there. She tried to quickly set the towels down and leave the room, but she noticed something odd on the floor.

Near the bed, she saw a familiar black gown and at first, she thought that it was a woman's dress lazily put on the floor with no care, but she saw the black hat that only belonged to the man she cared for deeply. As soon as she realized who the guest was, she heard the door that connected this room and the adjacent bathroom open and Adrian exited. To her surprise, he was wearing nothing back some slacks that he usually wore underneath the gown, but wore no shirt, exposing his surprisingly flat and scarred stomach. It wasn't a six-pack or anything, but it was still enough to make her blush. He was drying his wet long silver hair when he noticed her in his room, staring at him. "Well, this is unexpected," he said as he walked up to her. "I'm glad to see you though."

"A-A-Adrian! I-I-I-I-," she tried to say, trying to avoid staring at him, but couldn't find the right words to say.

He giggled. "Thought I would surprise you, especially after what happened a few days ago."

"You . . . came here . . . in this weather?!"

"Well, why not? I was given permission to see you whenever I wanted."

"But you could catch a cold in that weather," she said worriedly.

"I doubt that. Have you forgotten I'm a Grim Reaper?"

"Oh, right," she said as she looked away, but he used his finger to guide her back into his gaze.

"I'm glad you're serving me, Annabeth," he said in a surprisingly seductive tone. She blushed as she tried to find the right response to something like that, but couldn't find anything. All she could do was swat his hand away from her.

"D-Don't tease me like that!"

His eyes widened with shock. "Is something the matter?" he said in his genuine concerned tone.

"No, it's nothing. It's just . . . I wasn't expecting any of that," she said, still trying to avert her eyes away from his exposed body.

He sighed as he began to put his robe back on. "I told Lily that this wouldn't work."

She looked at him with confusion in her eyes. "What?"

Adrian sighed yet again as he said, "I'm not suppose to tell you this, but Lily was telling me about how . . . restless you were for the past couple of days and thought that I could help ease your . . . troubles."

"Oh, you heard about that?" Annabeth asked in a very embarrassed tone.

"We are close friends, so she tells me a lot about her life, including her intimate sessions with Sebastian. Every detail."

"Well, they do take their kisses seriously. They seem to have a lot of passion-,"

"Oh, she tells me a lot more than _that_. I do not even _dare_ repeat the things she has told me."

"You mean . . . making love?" she asked shyly. He nodded. "But . . . but that's supposed to be reserved for marriage!"

He chuckled. "You really expect a Grim Reaper and a demon to follow human rules, especially those that concern love?"

"Well, when you put it like that . . . ," she said, but before she could speak any more, they heard a knock and in came Lilliana.

"Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she acted.

"No, it's fine. I'm just conversing with my dear Annabeth," Undertaker said in his usual tone.

"Oh, good," she said as she walked further into the room, clearly hiding something behind her back. She was holding back a smirk and to an untrained eye like Annabeth, she seemed to be serious, but Adrian knew what she was smirking about. "Everything is to your liking, I presume?"

"Yes, very much."

"Well then, I brought you what you requested," she said as she finally showed them what was behind her back: a handful of roses carefully picked from the garden. Annabeth's eyes lit up by the sight and smiled, even though she knew they weren't for her. They were a beautiful shade of red, the thorns were cut off to not harm anyone, and there were a few drops of dew on them.

"Thank you Lily. You're always a big help," he said with a smile as he took the roses from her hand. Lilliana was surprised by the statement and smiled.

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention this earlier. The young lord has been requested to solve some human trafficking crimes in London and we will have to leave tomorrow morning, which means that Sebastian and I will leave with him. The other servants don't usually travel with us, so they stay here at the manor. However, I have been given permission to let Annabeth return to your care until we return," she addressed Undertaker. "I'm sure you will have no problem with it."

"No, not at all. Thank you."

"Thank you so much," Annabeth said as she hugged Lily. The sudden affection startled her and she didn't know how to react. The majority of people she knew demonstrated no affection, so this was unusual for her. Adrian chuckled at the sight. She awkwardly chuckled once she was released from the hug and left the room in a hurry. Adrian examined the roses as he said, "She picked the perfect roses, didn't she?"

"Yes, they are quite beautiful."

"Just like you," he said as he handed her the roses. "My little rose."

"Wait, these are for me?" she asked in shock as she collected the roses.

"Of course. What purpose would I have for flowers as beautiful as these?"

"Aw, Adrian," she said, trying to hold back tears. "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"Really?" he asked, but soon remembered that she was a doll born a couple months ago; she doesn't have any memories of her past life. Why did he keep forgetting that? Speaking of that, he couldn't imagine the horror she went through when that bastard Lord Montague, a man she remembered nothing about, tried to have his way with her. That's why he agreed to kiss her in the first place; he had to make sure she felt safe. That same reason convinced him to get roses for her. "Well, it's the least I could do."

"Well . . . there _is_ something else you could do," she said shyly. Adrian looked at her and smiled. He soon walked to her and kissed her plump lips. Annabeth was happy; she finally got her kiss, again. However, this time seemed to be different. It wasn't passionate, but it was still deep. However, this kiss seemed to have, in lack of a better term, spark. They both felt it. They both . . . liked this new feeling and didn't bother parting lips for a long time.

* * *

Outside their door, Lilliana was peeping through the keyhole while Sebastian stood by, waiting for what she had to say. They hoped their newest plan worked and he was getting impatient by the fact she wasn't saying anything. However, a smile grew on her face and he had hope. "Well?"

She looked at him as she said, "It finally worked!"

He smiled too as he said, "That is good to hear."

"I didn't think he had it in him to actually kiss the girl he claims to see as his daughter. Way to go, old chap. By the way, thanks for the idea. I don't approve of how you got it, but it was helpful."

"My pleasure," he said as he extended a hand to help her off the floor. She took his hand, but as she got up, he pulled her close and kissed her quite passionately. Their tongues reintroduced each other after a long break from each other and their hands grabbed each other to remember how each grab felt.

As their lips parted, Lilliana said, "Oh, I missed that so much."

"I'm sure you missed more than that," he said as he kissed her neck. She tried her absolute hardest to suppress moans, especially since Undertaker and Annabeth weren't the other side of the door, but she desperately craved it. "Have I made it up to you after last night?"

"Not yet, but if you keep doing this, you will."


	7. Her Past Suitor

The next morning, Annabeth woke up as the sun began shining in the room and onto her face. She always had her body facing the window so she could see the beautiful night sky before she slept. However, as she rubbed her eyes to wake herself up, she noticed something . . . unusual. The room she was in wasn't the female servants' bedroom. With a careful look, she noticed the lavish layout of the room and the decorations that beautifully complimented it. Even the window was very huge compared to the one in her room. However, she did recognize this room. In fact, she remembered being here last night. That's right; this is the guest bedroom that Adrian was staying in. She looked at a nearby table and saw the vase she put the roses in. Did she accidentally fall asleep in the guest room? If that was true, then where was Adrian?

She tried getting out of the bed, but she noticed an arm around her waist. In worry, she followed the arm and saw Adrian's sleeping face. His bangs still covered his eyes, but he looked quite peaceful while he slept. However, that's not the thought that came into her mind. The first thing she thought of was, "I was sleeping in the same bed as him." She frantically scooted over so she could get out of his reach, but she accidentally fell off the bed, landing butt-first on the floor. That sound and a little shriek caused the mortician to wake up and examine what just happened.

"Are you all right, dearie?" he asked sleepily as he rubbed his eyes.

"I'm fine," Annabeth said as she got up and rubbed her rump to ease the pain. "Ow, that hurt."

"Would you like me to kiss it better?" he teased with a grin. She gave him a glare before he continued, "I know, no more teasing."

"Still, why was I sleeping on the bed . . . with you?" she asked as her cheeks flushed.

"Well, we were talking until the wee hours of the morning about your stay here and soon you grew tired. Being the gentleman that I am, I allowed you to sleep in my bed."

"And you slept in it as well . . . with your arm around me?!"

"You requested it," he said. Her eyes widened in surprise by what he said and he continued, "I was about to sleep in a different room, but you stopped me, saying you would rather I kept you company for the night in fear something might happen again. So, I slid in bed with you, but I tried to keep my distance. Still, you said you wanted to feel safe and snuggled close to me. As a response, I put my arm around you and you didn't protest."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did she really . . . ask for him to do all that? True, after the whole Montague incident, she hasn't felt safe by herself, especially at night, but did she really go as far as asking Adrian to sleep in the same bed as her to feel safe? She didn't know how to react to that realization. "Well, thank you . . . I guess."

"You're welcome dearie," he said as he got up from the bed. He was still wearing his usual black robe that was wrinkled due to him sleeping in it. His silver hair was messy, but it was nothing that a brush couldn't handle. In fact, he looked quite cute like that. As she examined his morning appearance, a thought crossed her mind: how did she look now? She quickly ran to the nearest vanity to get a good look at herself and was frightened. Her makeup, which she usually took off before going to bed, was smeared around her eyes and lips. Her hair, which was usual in a bun, was straggling all over the place. Her uniform was wrinkled too, but she had extra ones in the servants' quarters that she could change into. Still, in her eyes, she looked atrocious.

"Oh god," she said as she undid her bun so that her golden locks flowed past her shoulders.

Adrian giggled. "Dearie, you know that despite how you see yourself, you are always beautiful, right?"

"Still, I like to look presentable to y-, I mean, guests," she said. "That's the Phantomhive way."

"But you're not going to work today," a voice said from the doorway. They both looked and saw Lilliana leaning against the doorway. "You're on vacation as of today, remember?"

"Oh, right," Annabeth said.

Lilliana chuckled as she walked toward them. "Sebastian and Finny are packing up for the trip to London right now. We don't know how long we'll be away, so I'll be giving you nightly updates after work."

"You don't have to do that. It's so far for you," Annabeth said.

Lilliana laughed. "It's not far for me at all. Trust me," she said as she began leaving their side. "Your carriage is in the barn, Undertaker. We suggest you leave before we do."

"Oh, by the way, Lily, I need to tell you something," Undertaker said. With a confused look, she looked at the mortician, awaiting his response. "Please, when you are performing your nighttime activities with master butler, could you keep your voice down? Luckily, my dear Annabeth is a heavy sleeper, but I could hear you down the hall."

Lilliana smiled. "Then where's the fun in that?" she said almost seductively as she left the room.

"Nighttime activities?" Annabeth asked.

"It's nothing you need to be concerned with.

* * *

"Ah, it feels so good to be at home," Annabeth said as she put her trunk back in her room. She missed this little room, not to mention, not sharing a room with anyone. At the manor, she was self-conscious about changing since if Mey-Rin saw her scars, she would ask questions and she never prepared any answers in case anyone asked. She had scars in places that people would find impossible for her to survive from.

"Welcome home, then," he said as he gave her a one-arm hug. "I'm happy you feel at home."

"Of course. This was my first home, after all," she said a smile.

"As much as I love to have you around the shop again, you do realize as long as you're here, you will have to work for me again. We still have a business to run."

"I understand," she said with a smile. "I bet I can be more useful now than I was in the past."

"Well, this shop has missed a feminine touch," he said with a smile. Annabeth gave him a big smile as she began cleaning the dusty shop. Thanks to her new cleaning skills, she was able to clean more thoroughly than she did before. The vials and bottles of liquids never looked shinier, all the coffins were dust-free, and the shop couldn't have been any cleaner. Adrian was very shocked to see the shop so clean; even a deity his age can't keep up with everything, or at least, he didn't feel like putting in the extra effort to have it this clean. Luckily for them, they didn't have a customer for the entire day, so she was allowed to clean without disruption.

As she cleaned, Adrian watched her closely. He did offer to help with the cleaning, but she refused since she wanted to impress him. He didn't know why, but she actually looked adorable being the little maid of the shop. Even with dust and dirt all over her face, she still looked quite . . . beautiful, almost like a little wife. As the thought crossed his mind, he quickly dismissed it. No, she is more like a daughter to him . . . but what sensible father kisses his daughter? Even he, a Grim Reaper, knew the fundamentals of a human family. Fathers and daughters should _never_ kiss like they have. So, for the sake of argument, he viewed her more as a wife than a daughter . . . a very beautiful wife.

"Adrian? Adrian!" He snapped out of his train of thought and saw that Annabeth was looking at him with confusion on her face. There was a lot more dust and dirt on her face now that the place was completely cleaned. "Is everything all right?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, my dear. I just have never seen my parlor so clean. I dare say that Lilliana or master butler couldn't do a better job," he complimented.

She giggled as she said, "Well, it's the least I could do for you after everything you've done for me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to wash my face. I'll be back." As she finished her sentence, she began to walk to the nearest restroom. He watched her as she left his sight and smiled. She honestly believed she was ugly right now. In his eyes, he couldn't have been any cuter.

His eyes widened at the thought and he began to realize something. "Pull yourself together," he said to himself. "What are these thoughts entering my head? I'm a Grim Reaper; we are incapable of such human emotions. She is just a doll!" Right as he finished his thought, the door opened and the bell rang. Adrian was happy for the distraction as he saw who came in; a man with black hair and blue eyes, but they were red and puffy due to the sadness he expressed and he soon saw why. Along with him, there was a Scotland Yard officer that carried in the body of what looked like a woman on the traditional tray with a blood-stained cloth on top. However, something seemed familiar about the man. Had he seen him before? Regardless, with his usual grin, he said, "Greetings. How may I help you?"

"Hello, Mister Undertaker. I'm here . . . to . . . prepare my wife . . . for her funeral," he said in a sad tone. It was clear he was fighting back tears. This woman, his wife, must have been really special to him.

"Well, let me see the pretty thing," he said with a gleeful smile.

"I don't think that is the word I would use to describe her right now," the officer said as he set the body down. "She was mercilessly mutilated in her own home while Mr. Maxwell here was out having drinks with a good friend of his."

"He-he, seems a little suspicious, don't you think?" he said with his usual creepy smile.

"How dare you-," Mr. Maxwell said as he tried to walk toward him, ready for a fight, but the officer stopped him.

"We have ruled him out as a suspect when we checked his alibi. He was Ms. Clarice Jinule at the time of her death and we have even talked to her ourselves," the officer explained. Undertaker's ears perked up at the sound of her name. If he remembered correctly, wasn't she the one he killed some nights ago after she tried to kill Annabeth . . . again? How was she with him and the time of the murder and also able to speak with the police? How could she even be alive without a soul? Even if someone managed to bring her back from the dead, they wouldn't even have her Cinematic Record or anything to bring her back perfectly. In that case, she would be acting just like the bizarre dolls who only longed to steal living souls. It was just impossible, but he didn't want to question it with a human who didn't know anything about souls.

"I see. Well, in that case, I'll have Mrs. Maxwell prepared for her funeral as soon as tomorrow," Undertaker said.

"Perfect," Mr. Maxwell said with a sad smile.

"And we will figure out the person who did this to her. You can count on Scotland Yard," the officer said as he left the shop.

After a period of silence, Undertaker asked as he began to work on the body, "So, how long have you two been married?" As they said, she was mutilated almost beyond recognition, but it was nothing he could handle. Bodies like these were always his favorite to work on.

"Almost three years now. She was always so full of life even though life didn't treat her as fairly as it should have. At least she'll no longer live in fear, but I'll be damned if those bastards who hurt her in the past will get away with this. I bet they're the ones that killed her," he said rather angrily.

"My, my. What an interesting woman she must have been. Though, she looks a lot like my dear Annabeth," he said before cursing under his breath. Did he just say "my dear Annabeth"?

"Oh, you have someone special in your life too?"

"Yes, but not in the same way as your wife was to you."

"Well, I did love her, but . . . I have to admit that she wasn't the love of my life," Mr. Maxwell said. Undertaker listened intently to what he had to say now. "There was another woman I was in love with, but she was taken away from me by a licentious aristocrat. I wanted to find her, but I never did, so I settled with Abigail. If only I could find her again, my life would be complete."

"Oh, might I ask her name? Maybe I have seen her before."

"Of course. Her name is M-," he tried to say, but they were interrupted by footsteps and stared as they saw Annabeth come down the stairs, face washed and in cleaned clothes. Adrian only smiled as he saw her, but Mr. Maxwell looked in astonishment. "Mary? Is that you?" he asked.

"Mary? Who's that?" she asked with a confused look on her face, but he walked up to her and suddenly hugged her.

"Oh my god! Mary Welsh! I finally found you after all these years," he said in utter glee.

"I-I'm sorry, sir, but I think you have the wrong woman," she said in shock as she pushed him off. "My name is Annabeth Phoenix."

"Mary, it's me. Alex. Alexander Maxwell," he said. At the sound of his name, Adrian finally recognized who this man was: Alexander Maxwell, the man that had won the heart of Mary Welsh. "Don't you recognize me?"

"I'm sorry, but you have the wrong girl. My name is Annabeth, not Mary."

"Oh . . . I guess I must have. I'm sorry, Ms. Phoenix. I just . . . thought you were someone else," he said in an utterly disappointed tone. How else would a person who thought he found the love of his life feel if that person wasn't who he thought she was?

Annabeth couldn't stand to see anyone look as sad as he did. Whoever Mary Welch was, she meant a lot to him. Well, she had an idea. After all, this is the third person who has called her Mary. "It's all right, Mr. Maxwell."

"Please, call me Alex. It's a lot easier to say," he said, trying to cheer himself up.

"All right, Alex. Well, like Undertaker said, we'll have your wife ready tomorrow. You can decide when to have the funeral."

"I would like it as soon as possible since she doesn't have any family and neither do I," he explained.

"All right," she said as she walked him out of the parlor. "Well, we'll see you soon."

"Thank you," he said as he left the shop. As the door closed, she checked outside the window to see him walk home. He looked rather sad to be walking alone with his mind anywhere but in the present. It's never a good idea to be alone with your thoughts, especially while walking outside in public. Anyone could mug him, thinking he was an easy target. She thought about going out and offering to walk him home so he would be safe, but then thought that she would most likely get lost on her way back since she was still unfamiliar with the area outside the shop.

"Is something the matter?" Adrian asked, slightly startling her.

"I'm just worried for him. He seems too depressed to be walking home alone," she said as she turned to him.

"He'll be fine," he said rather coldly.

"Are you sure? I mean, he-,"

"He'll be fine," he said more aggressively, surprising her. Was he angry at her? Why would he be? She didn't do anything to make him angry . . . did she?

"Well, can I ask a question?" she asked innocently. Adrian turned to her, waiting for what she had to say. "Who is Mary Welsh?"

Adrian didn't know how to respond to that question, but knew he had to tell the truth. "She . . . She was you."

"Pardon, I'm not following."

"She was you before you were Annabeth Phoenix."

"So . . . a past life?"

"Yes."

"So, for the past week, all these people believe I was my past self?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

There was a moment of silence before she asked, "What was I like?"

He was quiet before saying, "You were like how you are now, except a lot less happy. You never had any control in your life and were very depressed. You couldn't choose who to love or how to live since everything was dictated for you against your will. Even living was a choice that you couldn't afford."

"Oh," she said. "H-How would you know? Did we meet?"

"No, but I looked into your soul and saw the life you lived."

She looked at him with a sad look, but soon walked up to him and gave him a hug. "I'm glad that I'm not her anymore. I couldn't imagine a life where I didn't have a choice on how to live my life."

"Me too," he said as he looked into her eyes. The perfect shade of blue and green were starting to mix with red as her eyes began to tear up. "But even as a Grim Reaper, I knew how special you were, enough to bring you back to life."

"Th-Thank you," she said in between tears as she held on to him tighter. He stroked her hair, trying his best to comfort her, something he honestly wasn't very skilled at despite his many centuries in this world.

After a while, she pulled back to wipe her tears and Adrian said, "Maybe you should get some rest. You've been cleaning all day and it's getting late."

"Yes, of course," she said as she began to walk away from him, but he surprised her with a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight Annabeth," he said with a smile.

She smiled. "Goodnight," she said as she left his side. Adrian sighed when she was no longer in his sight, but now he could focus on more important things, like that fact that Clarice Jinule was still alive. He began to look at the body that was just delivered to him and noticed the brutality of the attack. Even Grell's Death Scythe during the Jack the Ripper case wasn't as brutal as this attack was. He looked at the clock and saw that it was nine-thirty at night. She should be working by now, or at least, he hoped so. Sometimes that girl was late to her shifts at work, making that dull superior of hers very angry. Suddenly, he heard the bell in his shop ring and saw two women walk in.

"Undertaker, I need to talk to you," Lilliana said before noticing the body in front of him. "Ah, perfect. They managed to find it."

"Oh my gods," the unknown woman said in a foreign accent as she covered her mouth. He noticed that she looked very pretty with her locks of blonde hair wrapped in a messy bun and bright red lipstick. She wore a white collared shirt with short sleeves with an appropriate length black skirt. She was a lot more tan compared to everyone in London, which he found very interesting since there was no part in this country where the sun shined a lot. Though, there were more questions flooding in his head when he saw her eyes: bright green, like a Grim Reaper. "What in the world could have done this to this poor woman?"

"A demon," Lilliana said as she looked closely at the mutilated body. "And based off of the carnage, it's safe to assume that it is a female demon."

"A demon? My, those creatures are very dangerous. It's no wonder that there are demon hunters," the woman said, but she received a glare of red eyes from Lilliana. "I-I-I-I didn't mean it like that! I . . . I just say things without thinking."

"Care to introduce the young lady here, Lily?" Undertaker asked.

Lilliana looked at him with confusion until she realized why he asked that. "Oh sorry. This is Katia Vendoa, the recruit from America. Katia, this is . . . the Undertaker." She was reluctant to say his name. Katia was the type of girl that followed the rules down to the detail, so if she told her his real name, she might report him to William and she didn't want that. "He's a dear friend of mine."

"That's it? Just 'the Undertaker'?"

"Yes, dearie. It's nice to make your acquaintance," he said with his usual smile.

"Nice to meet you too," she said with a sweet smile.

"All right, now that everyone is acquainted with each other, we can get down to business," Lilliana said. "Recently, there have been a lot of reports of missing souls and William has tasked Katia and I with finding out what was going on."

"So far, we've only been able to find a few bodies since they were never claimed by Reapers or the police," Katia explained.

"All the bodies we _did_ find were part of a demon-worshipping cult, the same one that Clarice Jinule was a part of, but she must have not been part of that cult meeting," Lilliana explained.

"Speaking of Ms. Jinule, I'm afraid she isn't quite dead," Undertaker said.

"What?"

"This lady here was the wife of Alexander Maxwell, who is apparently good friends with Ms. Jinule and at the time of her murder, apparently he was having drinks with her."

"How? I collected her soul. There is no way she can still be alive."

"Well, apparently she is and is communicating with Mr. Maxwell."

"Are you certain?"

"I don't know for certain, but I want you two to keep a close eye on him to see if it really is Ms. Jinule."

"But if she really is still alive, then she isn't the same Clarice Jinule we encountered earlier. This could be some possible demonic activity we are dealing with. Besides, she knows what we look like, so we can't get close to her," Lilliana said.

"True, but she doesn't know anything about this fair maiden," Undertaker said, making Katia smile.

"I don't think I want to put Katia in that kind of danger," Lilliana said almost protectively.

"Lilliana, I'll be fine. I promise. Besides, this is our only lead into figuring out where the missing souls are," Katia said reassuringly.

"I . . . I guess you're right, but I don't want to see you hurt, that's all."

"I promise you that I'll be fine."

" . . . All right then," she said reluctantly. "But if you can't handle it, don't be afraid to ask for help."

"Don't worry. I'll just quickly head back to headquarters and look up Alexander Maxwell to see what he and Clarice look like. I'll find him before dawn."

"I hope you're right," Lilliana said before Katia left her side. When the two were alone, she sighed. "I hope she doesn't get hurt."

"You know master butler will get _pretty_ jealous if he hears about your little affair with the new recruit," he teased.

"You and I both know that there is nothing between us other than attraction. She believes there's more, but not for me," she said before looking at the body. "Apparently Abby Maxwell, or should I say, Abigail Phillies, was a former sex slave that escaped thanks to Alex, who married her a few months later. I would only know since Ciel and Sebastian are investigating the very human traffickers that hurt her."

"Interesting, but I'm afraid there is also something else I need to mention."

"What would that be?"

"Alexander Maxwell is more relevant to us than we think. He was the past lover of Mary Welch."

* * *

Katia watched Alex from the rooftops near his home for a long time. It was pretty late and he was still up, but he didn't do anything suspicious. Just reading the Bible, a book of lies if you asked Lilliana, who hated anything religious. Katia didn't mind since she knew the truth about the afterlife and deities, but she couldn't do anything to correct the entire human race. Apparently, Alex Maxwell was a man of strong faith who had taken in a young woman after he saved her from human traffickers. What a guy. However, she looked up Clarice Jinule and she was surprised how different their lives were. Clarice was just a spoiled child who was given everything, but squandered it all and felt like she was going to die if she never found the cult. However, when she tried to find out how she died, she was surprised that the Record seemed to cut off as soon as a large blade pierced her body. Whose blade was it? She will never know.

Suddenly, she saw a stranger approach the house and tried to get closer to see who it was, but out of nowhere, blue flames seemed to trap her on the rooftop, blocking her vision of the window. "What the hell?! What is this?!" Katia yelled as she tried to get out of the flame trap, but as her hand got closer to the flame, it burned so hot that she couldn't just quickly run through. The flames were too hot for her to escape, but for some reason, it didn't catch the house on fire. It acted as if it was only meant to burn her and nothing else.

In the house, Alex welcomed the woman inside his house with open arms. "Clarice! I'm happy to see you!"

"Not right now ( _cough cough_ )," Clarice said as she entered the house. However, something seemed off about her. Didn't she always have brown eyes and not blue? And why has her voice gone deeper? "Those damn Grim Reapers think they could spy on us."

"Grim Reapers? What are you talking about?"

"They sent one to watch us ( _cough_ ). I had to use my blue flames to keep that bitch at bay," Clarice said, but continued to cough a lot.

"Are you all right? Do you need some water or something?" Alex said worriedly.

"No, I'm fine, but this body is fading soon."

"Your body is fading?"

Clarice looked at him and said, "Oh that's right, I haven't been able to tell you. Clarice no longer inhabits this body. It's Lucille," she said as her eyes turned red and went back to blue.

"Lucille? Why are you possessing her again? I'm sure she will do your bidding no matter what."

"Oh, you don't understand. Clarice is dead and her soul was collected by a Grim Reaper, one that I know very well."

Alex looked heartbroken at the statement. "Clarice . . . is dead?"

"By a ( _censored_ ) Grim Reaper. Those creatures say they are unbiased, but they don't know what the hell they're talking about."

"Still, Lucille, I'm actually glad you're here. The plan is working out perfectly. I got to see Mary!"

"I'm glad to hear. After all I had to go through with this body. ( _Cough_ ) Soon, she will no longer be useful. I might as well be possessing a rotting corpse."

"Can I at least give her a funeral before you dispose of her?"

"I see why not. Besides, you'll soon have the one you love soon. No more slaving away to a fruitless marriage."

"Though, I am shocked to how brutally you killed her. You almost made her unrecognizable."

"I'm a female demon; what did you expect?"

"Maybe show some mercy since she was my wife? Still, after this is all over when Mary and I live the happy life I promised her, you can have my soul. That was the deal."

"And once you sign a contract with me, there is no turning back," she said as she showed him the blue mark of the covenant on her left hand. "You can never back out. I _will_ fulfill your wish and I _will_ have your soul."

"That was the deal."

"Great. So for the next week or so, try to win her over with kindness. If she doesn't fall for you by then, I will commence the second part of our plan. The only problem we have is those nosy Grim Reapers, including the one who made her and another, who happens to be the infamous Demonic Reaper. I will deal with them in time, but until then, show her how much you really love her."

"All right. Thank you Lucille."

"You're welcome, Alex."


	8. His Love?

"And today, we celebrate the short life of Abigail Maxwell, a girl full of life and love. She was loved by her husband and the friends she made along the way. She will be dearly missed, but she is now in the loving arms of God and his angels now," a priest said. With that last statement, everyone heard a scoff, but no one knew where it was coming from. Abigail's funeral was outside at her grave on a usual cloudy day. The gathering was very small; just Alex, a few friends, Undertaker Annabeth, and even Ciel, Sebastian, and Lilliana, who showed up since their human trafficking investigation led to Abby. Lilliana and Undertaker made sure that no one looked like Clarice Jinule. Annabeth paid close attention to Alex, who was noticeably less miserable about his wife's death than he was yesterday, which she found odd, but didn't question it. However, he wasn't alone since a female friend of his sat next to him and comforted him throughout the funeral. She was wearing a slim black dress, but her golden hair seemed to contrast the dark color. The oddest thing about her, however, was the fact she wore a black ribbon around her eyes, as if she was blind. Maybe she was? No one could tell for sure.

"It's all right, Alex. She's in a better place now," the woman said before leaving his side, but as she tried to find her seat, she accidentally bumped into both Sebastian and Lilliana. They both gave her glares, but she smiled at them, as if she saw them.

"Now, I will give each person a chance to say their last goodbyes before we put Abigail Maxwell in the ground," the priest said as many people went up to the coffin to pay respects. As he past the crowd, presumably to go back to a church, Lilliana's eyes flared red, but Undertaker told her to calm herself and she did, reluctantly. She hated all things religious since the day she was born, mainly because of the demonic influences in her past. Soon, she, Sebastian, and Ciel secluded themselves from the funeral to discuss business with each other.

"What were you able to find out about Mrs. Maxwell?" Ciel asked.

"I couldn't find out anything," Lilliana said, confusing the duo. "Her soul was already collected, or should I say, stolen. She wasn't on the To-Die list, so no Grim Reaper was assigned to collect her soul."

"But who could have done it? Is that red-headed idiot involved in any way?" Ciel asked.

She chuckled. "I doubt it since he wouldn't get himself into any more trouble after the Jack the Ripper incident." At the sound of the name, Ciel seemed to express a troubled look. He didn't like to be reminded of the day he lost his aunt, one of his few remaining family members that he had left, but at the same, she deserved it. Though, the _way_ she died was inexcusable. A Grim Reaper, a deity supposedly with no bias to the human world, killed her in cold blood. That is the reason why he has some hatred for Grim Reapers, even to Lilliana, but at least she has showed some loyalty to him during her service. However, he had to be extra careful with her. She may be loyal to him, but at the same time, she was the most dangerous Grim Reaper, or at least, that's what he has observed. A Grim Reaper with a bloodlust was a very dangerous creature.

"Do you have any idea who could have taken the soul?" Sebastian asked.

"Well, the only Grim Reapers that would kill people not on the To-Die list would be me or Grell, but I'm not going to break anymore rules any time soon and like I said, he can't do anything out of line or he will get in trouble as well."

"How about the one who has technically stolen a soul and given it new life?" he said as he pointed toward Undertaker and Annabeth.

"No, he didn't. I asked him a lot of questions last night to confirm he was not the person who stole the soul and why would he?"

"Maybe he would like a second abomination walking around?" Ciel joked.

"No, he wouldn't want to replace Annabeth and besides, he can only do so much without accidentally notifying the Reaper Association. Don't forget that he is a criminal on the run; if he had multiple dolls, they would be too hard to control and any of them could trigger a red flag to us," she explained.

"So what does that leave us with?"

"Unless there is another Rogue Reaper in the Task Force that I am not aware of, it means that a demon stole her soul and most likely devoured it." Their eyes widened at the realization. "We are already investigating a large amount of missing souls and to dispose of the perpetrator."

"Do you have any clues to who it may be? There are only so many demons that are in London currently," Sebastian said.

"All I have to go off of is the brutality to how she was murdered. It is something that I only see in female demons."

"Well, there are already a limited number of female demons, but they are scattered throughout the world and most don't stay in one place."

"So that means we have to keep a close eye out for any in the area and so far, I only have one lead: a possible possessed corpse of a woman that I know I collected the soul from."

"If that's the case, then the body should be degenerating at an alarming rate. This is why demons don't like to possess corpses; they fall apart faster than they are useful for. Even the most powerful demons can only keep them alive for about a week or two."

"So that means that the demon had an agenda and had to work fast before the corpse started to fail and reveal its true state," Ciel concluded. "I wonder what her next move would be."

"Who knows, but since it's my current assignment, I'll be looking for any leads to who it could be. Plus, I have a demon at my side to help me out," she said with a smirk.

"I wonder what they're talking about over there," Annabeth said as she observed the trio talking for quite a while. They didn't have a chance to pay any respects before the coffin descended to the ground and was quickly buried.

"It's probably some business between deities and the Queen's Guard Dog. It's nothing that you should be concerned with," Adrian said comfortingly.

"I guess, but isn't it disrespectful for them to just talk throughout all of this?"

"Oh, they already paid their respects," Alex said as he approached them. "Lord Phantomhive paid for the entire funeral. He said he felt sorry for my wife's murder since he is tracking down the same people that hurt her all those years ago. I wish I knew how I could repay him."

"He-he, I guess the young lord is kind after all," Undertaker said with a giggle.

"Annabeth, would you mind if I talked with you in private?" Alex said rather nervously.

"I see no reason why not," Annabeth said as she followed him to a secluded area. Although most of the people left, there was still him, Annabeth, Undertaker, Lilliana (now all by herself since Ciel and Sebastian left to continue their investigation), and the blind girl. Once they were at a good distance away, Annabeth asked, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I was just thinking . . . if you are available . . . maybe I can . . . ask you out . . . to lunch," Alex said in a nervous tone that he couldn't hide. Annabeth was surprised to hear the request, but soon smiled.

"Sure, I would love to," she said with a sweet smile. His eyes widened by her response.

"Really?" he asked.

"Of course. After all, after an event such as this, you need all the comfort you can get. I'll happily accompany you for lunch."

"T-That would be great. I know a great café that we can try. There is delicious food and desserts and my wife and I used to eat there all the time," he said excitedly.

"That sounds wonderful," she said with a smile.

In the distance, Adrian watched his dear Annabeth carefully. He had a bad feeling about Alex and didn't trust him at all. After all, one of his companions is, or really _was_ , Clarice Jinule. If she had showed her face at this funeral, who knows what might have happened. The only suspicious character here was the blind woman who was still sitting beside the grave, putting her hand on the freshly buried ground. She seemed harmless, but he kept a close eye on both of them.

"And what are you doing staring off in the distance?" Lilliana said as she approached him, startling him in the process. She chuckled as she said, "This is a first; _me_ scaring _you_."

"He-he, that _is_ a first, but you see, I have my mind on other things," he said as he looked back at the couple conversing in the distance.

"He isn't going to give up on her, is he?"

"I'm afraid not and I'm getting cornered."

"Well, true, he is her past lover, but this was the man that loved her with all his heart and she loved him just as much. If fate hadn't been so cruel, they could have been together."

"Yes, but at the same time, he broke her heart by marrying Abigail."

"Because she was married to another as well. He had to move on. It was bad timing, but it wasn't entirely his fault."

"Still, I am very concerned about Annabeth interacting with him, knowing that something suspicious is going on around him," he said before facing toward Lilliana. "Would you mind . . . checking on her-,"

"Undertaker, I understand your concern, but she isn't a child; she can take care of herself."

"You can't even send your little errand girl to watch her for me?" he said with a giggle.

"For your information, she is not an 'errand girl'," she said rather angrily, but not to the point that her eyes turned red in anger. "She is a very dear friend of mine."

"Oh right, a _friend_ ," he teased.

"Shut up," she said angrily, eyes flaring red, but she soon calmed down. "Anyway, what I was trying to say was that Annabeth isn't your child that needs constant supervision. She is a young woman who should be allowed to make her own choices." Adrian gave off a worried look to what she had to say and looked back at Annabeth. "You said it yourself: Mary Welch was miserable since she was never given a choice in her life. You don't want Annabeth to suffer the same fate, do you?"

Adrian sighed. This was the few times Lilliana ever disagreed with him and this was for sure the first time she put her foot down on a request. "I guess you're right. I just want to make sure she's safe."

"She will be fine, I promise," she said as she left his side, presumably back to the carriage where Ciel and Sebastian were waiting for her.

"Undertaker," Annabeth yelled as she and Alex approached him. "Alex just invited me to lunch with him and his friend over there." She pointed at the blind girl who was still sitting by the grave. "If it's fine with you, I was wondering if I could take a couple of hours off to go eat with him."

"Please, Mr. Undertaker. I promise to bring her back in one or two hours," Alex begged. It was clear that he was desperate to do anything to get Annabeth to have lunch with him. He wanted to say no, but . . . Lilliana was right. If he denied her of her choice, then he was no better than Mary's parents or her good-for-nothing husband.

"All right then. Just make sure that you take good care of her. I'll be at my parlor when you return," he said with a fake smile.

Annabeth's eyes widened brightly as she hugged him. "Thank you Adrian," she whispered in his ear before she let him go and walked to Alex. Adrian watched them closely as they left, looking for any signs of trouble, but luckily, he found nothing to alarm him. Still, he was too suspicious of him to let him off the hook. Something about him seemed off, but he couldn't put his finger on what it could be.

* * *

The three of them eventually reached the café and sat down at a table outside. Alex was about to sit next to Annabeth, but the blind girl sat in the seat before he could. He sighed as he took the seat next to the girl. "Abby loved this place. She would always order a small slice of carrot cake since she was always trying to look out for her figure. Honestly, her body couldn't be any more perfect," Alex said before he got up to order some food for them. "What would you two like to eat?"

"I would like some Devil's food cake if you wouldn't mind," the girl said.

"Some chocolate cake please . . . oh, with strawberries," Annabeth said just before he left.

The girl chuckled. "That is an excellent selection. Reminds me of something my brothers would clumsily eat when we were young. My father would give us whatever we wanted, no questions asked."

"Ah, that sounds wonderful," Annabeth said with a smile. "My name is Annabeth, by the way."

"Lucy," she said with a smile and extended her hand, but her aim was a little off, as to be expected. Annabeth shook her hand at the weird angle and smiled.

"I wish I had brothers or sisters, but I was never fortunate enough."

"I would happily give you some of mine. Brothers can be quite annoying, especially in bunches."

"Oh, how many brothers do you have?"

Lucy cracked a smile before laughing. "I-I don't even know anymore." Annabeth's eyes grew wide by the statement. "My father . . . he is what people call a 'Don Juan'. He slept with many women, and left most of them pregnant with his child. It was up to them whether they wanted to keep the child or get rid of it. Though, my mother tried, my soul was stronger and out I came."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. It must have been awful knowing that."

"It's fine. Plus, my father adopted me when he found me," she said before putting a hand on her ribbon. "Deformity and all."

"Wow, he sounds like a nice guy."

"Nice? ( _chuckles_ ) He was far from it. My father is more of a devil than a man. He gave us what we wanted because he wanted us to join his family business. However, none of us are good enough for him, even me, his only daughter."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Annabeth said with a sad tone.

"Its fine, but it is my dream to prove to my father that I am worthy of being called his daughter, even if it's the last thing I do," she said before she heard Alex coming to their table with a tray full of food.

"I'm afraid they didn't have Devil's food cake, but I brought you Angel's food cake. I'm sure you'll love it the same," he said as he placed the slice in front of Lucy, but her face grimaced at the sound.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically.

"Here's the chocolate cake with strawberries for Annabeth," he said as he served the rather large slice to her and her eyes lit up.

"It looks so yummy, but I don't think I can finish all of this."

"It's all right. I figured that we could share it," Alex said with a smile. She blushed at the thought of sharing her dessert, especially since the last time she shared food with another man, he nearly kissed her. Still, she didn't say no and Alex dug his fork into the treat and started eating it.

"So, Lucy, why do you wear the ribbon around your face? I have been meaning to ask you," Annabeth said as she took a bite and moaned with pleasure. "This is really good."

"Well, I'm really self-conscious about my eyes. Being a blind girl and all, I'm afraid people will stare."

"People will only stare because your eyes are so beautiful and why would staring make you uncomfortable if you can't see them," Alex said as he took another bite out of the cake.

Lucy blushed as she said, "I can hear their whispers. When one sense fails, the others enhance."

"Still, I would love to see your eyes," Annabeth said.

"I-I'm not sure about-,"

"Please show us your eyes, Lucy," Alex almost ordered. She was reluctant, but she put her hands behind her head to remove the knot on the ribbon. Soon, it was loose and she pulled it down, keeping her eyes closed, but soon opened them to reveal beautiful sapphire eyes unlike any other.

"Oh my! Your eyes are like precious gems! They are so beautiful," Annabeth said with surprise and wonder.

"Oh stop it. You flatter me," she said with a blush.

"No I mean it. I've never seen eyes as beautiful as yours."

"You're too kind," she said with a smile, but it soon faded as she seemed to look off in the distance. Annabeth and Alex checked to see what she was looking at, but didn't find anything other than a person with really long red hair going inside a jewelry shop.

Alex turned back and asked, "Are you all right, Lucy?"

She turned to the sound of his voice and said, "Yes, why do you ask?"

"It seems that you were staring at that person entering that shop."

"You do remember that I'm blind, correct? My eyes may be looking in the distance, but I can't tell."

"I suppose you're right. Well, let's just have fun right now. . . . Lucy, you still haven't touched your Angel food cake."

* * *

Adrian was anxiously waiting for Annabeth at the funeral parlor. Another slow day didn't help distract his mind off of his worry for her. She was in good hands, he kept saying to himself. She'll be fine. He won't do anything harmful to her. He loved her before he married Abby and it seems he loves her all over again. He just wants to reconnect with her. Those were the things he kept saying over and over again in his head, but nothing seemed to calm him down. They were counteracted by other thoughts. _Why_ did he want to reconnect with her? Is it a little more than a coincidence that he found her after his wife "mysteriously" died? How is Clarice Jinule still alive? With those thoughts, it was hard to feel calm. Though, another questioned popped into his head.

Why did he care so much? True, she is a doll that should be handled with intense care, but even with the dolls he created on the Campania, he didn't feel as much of a desire to protect them as he did with Annabeth. Why was that? Throughout the day, he contemplated the reason and was led to one conclusion: he cares for her because he . . . loved her. Well, love like any person has to a family member, but then he always thought otherwise since he was a Grim Reaper; he couldn't fall in love no matter how hard he tried. Though, a careful examination of his actions compared to those of human lovers seemed to say otherwise. He was protective of her, which could be said for both family and romantic love, but still love, nonetheless. He wanted to be by her side no matter what and comfort her whenever she was sad. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her whenever she entered the room and thought she was beautiful no matter what she was wearing. He liked feeling her embrace and . . . he liked kissing her. A lot more than he would like to admit.

"No," he said to himself before laughing. "I really have gone mad. He-he, how could I be _in love_ with a human? It's unheard of; downright impossible. I've told her that before." However, his inner monologue was cut short as he heard footsteps approaching his shop. He immediately got up and opened the door without needing a knock, but as he looked outside, he was disappointed to see who was there.

"Eager to answer the door, I see," Sebastian said at the other side with a smirk.

"Oh, it's you. I'm surprised to see you here. He-he, did the young puppy send you to do his biddings," he said, trying to keep his usual tone.

"Not quite. Actually, Lilliana sent me since she is busy . . . cleaning up a bloody mess," he explained.

"It's quite dangerous to leave her by herself, don't you think? You and I both know how much blood can affect her instincts. We wouldn't her back under lockdown, now do we?"

He chuckled. "She will be fine. She's handled herself in much bloodier messes than what I have left behind. Besides, she told me to tell you that we have finished our errand in London and will head back to the manor tomorrow. We are currently reporting the incident to Her Majesty, so that will take all day and night, knowing how rashly the Queen can react to the young master's visit. So, tomorrow morning, we shall return here to retrieve Ms. Phoenix."

Undertaker's smile soon faded at the sound of those words. "Well, her vacation was rather short, wouldn't you say?"

"The young master wishes to keep his errands in London short and completes them efficiently and quickly."

"Oh, hello Sebastian," a feminine voice said. They looked in the direction and saw Annabeth being escorted by Alex and Lucy, now wearing the ribbon around her eyes again. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Hello Ms. Phoenix. I have just informed your caretaker that you won't be staying for long. As of tomorrow, you will return to the Phantomhive manor."

"Oh," she said, looking down at the ground for a bit. Alex looked disappointed as well, but didn't say anything. "So, that means I have only today left for my vacation."

"Yes. Spend it well for I'm afraid I don't know when you're next vacation will be," he said with a smile. "Well, I should return to make afternoon tea for my young master. I'm afraid he gets quite irritable if I'm late," Sebastian said as he left their side, but not before having a second look at Lucy. A familiar scent surrounded her, but couldn't figure out what it was. Still, he didn't have time to care and left.

"Oh, well then, I'm afraid we can't spend more time with each other," Alex said. Lucy expressed a sad aww, but her face didn't seem to show sadness, mainly because her eyes were covered by the ribbon.

"I guess so, but it was nice getting to know you two," Annabeth said as she tried to leave their side, but Alex stopped her.

"Perhaps it doesn't have to end so soon. How about dinner tonight? I would love to see you again just before you leave. What do you say?" Alex said almost desperately.

"I . . . I don't know."

"Please Annabeth. I just got to know you and I wouldn't want this friendship to end before it can start."

"I'm sorry, but she already has plans tonight," Undertaker said as he approached them.

"I do?" Annabeth questioned before he silenced her.

"After all, she will be leaving my care. I think it would be best that she spend her last night with me."

"Oh, I guess," Alex said with a disappointed tone. "Well then, it was really nice to meet you Annabeth and I do hope that we meet again. Let's go Lucy," he said as he guided Lucy away from the duo and walked back home.

Annabeth looked at Adrian and said, "I didn't realize we had any plans tonight. What will we be doing?" Adrian was silent for a bit, thinking about where to go, but she figured out something. "We didn't have plans, did we?"

"Well," he said as he nervously put his hand behind his head and chuckled. "I just thought that we should spend our last day together. Like he said, we don't know when your next vacation will be."

He was expecting her to be mad, but was surprised when she started to chuckle as well. "Of course; that makes sense, but what should we do?"

"Well, how about we get dinner in an actual restaurant, dearie?"

"Sure, but where?"

"I know a very good place nearby, but I'm not sure if it's too fancy for you," he said as he put a finger on his chin.

"I'm sure it will be fine. It's a date," she said with a smile as she left his side to enter the funeral parlor. He smiled; it was a date.

* * *

"Have you any further leads in the missing soul case?" William said as he, Lilliana, and Katia gathered around his desk in his office.

"Not much. We know that it can't be a Reaper because of the way the bodies were mutilated. They were almost beyond recognition, leaving us one option: it must be a demon," Katia said.

"A _female_ demon," Lilliana added. "No male demon would rip them apart so viciously. Trust me; I've been around a lot of them."

"Noted, but do you have any lead to who this demon is?" he asked.

"No, but what we do know is that she's possessing the body of a dead woman, or _was,_ since bodies degenerate fast. Whoever this woman is, she has a plan, but we don't know what yet."

"We better get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Upper Division is getting irritated by the large number of souls that are missing in the area and is starting to blame the incompetence of our sect," William said as pushed back his glasses. "This mission has already put me in overtime. You two are dismissed." The two women left his office and William sighed. He checked the clock; it was 7PM. He removed his spectacles to rub his eyes as he contemplated some things on his mind. He was skeptical of putting Lilliana in charge of the case, but he knew that she was an expert in demon behavior and if he wanted to find out who was behind this, he needed that knowledge. However, he was afraid that she was covering for either that collared beast, Sebastian, or her demon brother, but there were no reports of his presence in London.

" _William, darling~_ ," a voice said outside his door. William pinched the bridge of his nose at the sound of his fellow coworker's voice.

"Come in," he said regretfully. Soon, the doorknob turned and in came that flamboyant and red man, er woman in his mind, Grell Sutcliff.

"My, my, you had two women in here and you have the nerve to look all stressed-out like that," he said with a Cheshire grin.

William sighed. "I do not find attraction in them. They are only fellow coworkers who happen to be female."

"I'm glad," Grell said with a chuckle as he walked closer to Will. "Because you should only have eyes for me."

"Now is not the time to flirt, Mr. Sutcliff. Now, I assume you had something to ask me besides my lack of taste in women," William said rather angrily.

"Oh yes," he said as he pulled out a file. "About my assignment, it says that she was scheduled to die of a heart attack in her family-run jewelry shop, but when I checked, she wasn't there. A body can't just get up and move, can it?"

"Well, unless you count the ones on that cursed cruise liner some time ago, but other than that, no. You probably didn't check hard enough."

"Hey, it's not right to treat a lady so rudely for doing her job! Besides, I checked every nook and cranny in that shop and couldn't find his body anywhere."

"Hmm, perhaps it _could_ have moved on its own," William pondered.

"What do you mean? Are you saying that the old creep is back to making those abominations?"

"Not at all. Lilliana and Katia have concluded that the person behind the missing souls has possessed a body to walk around London, but she'll need a new body since, according to Lilliana, a corpse doesn't last."

"What do you mean ' _she'_?"

"It is a female demon they are after. It might be possible that the demon may have possessed the body and is using it to disguise herself, but for what purpose?"

"Well, I will find out who this bitch is and tear her to shreds for making my job difficult," he said with an annoyed tone.

"Do not engage a battle with a demon. Do you remember what happened the last time you did? You nearly got yourself killed if I wasn't there to rescue you."

"Oh, it was just a little playful banter between me and my dear Bassy! Ooo, I just wish I could do it all over again," he said as he embraced himself, making Will sigh.

"Just locate the soul before we have another missing soul we must fill out paperwork for," Will ordered.

* * *

The moon finally showed itself to London when Adrian decided to take Annabeth out to the restaurant he mentioned earlier. It was fancy, but it didn't require a dress code, like most restaurants in the area, so he was allowed to wear his usual clothing. Annabeth, however, wanted to look her best for tonight's . . . date. He was reluctant to use that term, but that's what she called it. To him, it was a dinner between two very close friends . . . who have kissed a couple of times. The more he tried to label it, the worse off he was. She isn't a friend; she was a lot more than that. He couldn't call her daughter because of the kisses and he couldn't call her wife because that would suggest that he . . . what did she label it? She probably viewed him as a father and nothing more. The thought of that . . . saddened him a bit. He didn't know why though.

However, before he could be trapped in his mind, he heard Annabeth's heels click on the hardwood stairs. He watched patiently as he saw her finally reach the bottom of the stairs, but his breath stopped at the sight of her. She wore a purple and black dress, her heels were the same black ones that she wore to work, and her hair wasn't in a bun, like most women would do, but had some of her hair down. Her makeup was reserved compared to what most dressed-up girls would wear, but in his eyes, she couldn't be any more beautiful. She still wore her purple scarf to hide her scars, but at least it matched the outfit. "What do you think? It's not too much, is it?" she asked.

"No, not at all. You look quite beautiful, my dear," he said as he walked to her and kissed her hand. She blushed at the action, but didn't pull her hand back. "Shall we be off?"

"All right," she said as she held his arm. Before they left, Adrian quickly had to flip the sign from _OPEN_ to _CLOSED_. He escorted her throughout town and just like before, she enjoyed the sights and smells of the area, but this time, under the moonlight glow. Some stores were closed, but the ones that were still open had decorative lights shining around them, almost like fireflies. There were less people out as before and there was a certain feeling of elegance surrounding them. "It's even more beautiful at night then it is during the day," she said as she put her head on his shoulder.

"But it is also very dangerous. The darkness can hide many secrets and if they were found, it could cost your life," Adrian said with a giggle. The statement made Annabeth shudder in fear, but he continued, "But rest assured that I won't let them do anything to you."

"Just like Clarice?" she asked. Adrian lost his smile and looked away from her. That's right; he killed Clarice before she could hurt Annabeth. How could he remind her of such a traumatic time? "I know you meant well in doing so. I don't think you're a monster for doing what you thought was right. You saved my life, after all. Don't you forget that," she said before kissing his cheek. He was surprised by the gesture, but soon chuckled as they continued to walk to the restaurant. However, something shiny caught their eye and they stopped in their tracks. "Oh, it's a jewelry shop," she observed.

"Yes, but most are closed at this time in fear of burglaries. I'm surprised this one is still open," he said, but she let go of him to look at the pieces on display. As she kept looking, she looked inside the shop to find one of the employees polishing a beautiful blue necklace.

"Adrian, would you mind if I looked inside?"

"Not at all, dearie," he said as he followed her inside the shop. A little bell rang, notifying of their presence and the female employee smiled. She had short black hair, but stunning blue eyes. Her skin looked . . . rather sickly, as if she shouldn't be working today, but other than that, she seemed fine.

"Hello valued customers. How may I help you today?" the woman asked with a helpful smile.

"Oh, we are just browsing," Adrian said as Annabeth kept looking with eyes of wonder at all the pieces on display.

"Oh 'browsing'," she said with a wink. "A lot of men do that with their ladies before they buy the piece that they like."

He chuckled. "If that was the case, then I would just buy the piece she liked now."

"Well then, perhaps you would like this one right here," she said as she held up the necklace she was polishing earlier. "It is a very beautiful piece made by a little-known brand called _Temptations_. It is made from very good silver and the sapphire is beyond exquisite. I'm sure this will fit nicely with any outfit you wear."

"Oh my, it does look lovely," Annabeth said, almost entranced by its beauty. "How much does it cost?"

"Well, the best part about the _Temptations_ brand is that no matter what store their pieces end up, they all have one rule: you can always negotiate price," the woman said, but was interrupted by the sound of the bell. "Shit," she said under her breath as she looked at the new customer, but when she turned back to the couple, they somehow vanished. "Hello sir, how may I help you?"

"Well, for starters, you can stop the act, honey. I'm the only phenomenal actress in this city," Grell said before he revealed his chainsaw Death Scythe. "Besides, I'm here for the soul you are hiding from us. Will was right; you possessed that body to do your bidding. Now tell me, what were you planning on doing with that body, demon?"

The woman chuckled, showing her blood red eyes. "Well, I guess I can't hide from a Grim Reaper. I didn't think I would get caught so early, but I guess when Lily works for you, she tells you some of our abilities." Soon, blue fire exited the woman through her eyes and mouth until all life seemed to leave the body. The flames gathered to make a silhouette of a woman and soon, they manifested to make one. She wore a black blouse with short sleeves, dark slacks, black fingerless gloves, and heels that seemed too high for a working woman to wear. Her blue hair nearly touched the lower back and her eyes were blood red, ready for a fight.

Adrian and Annabeth hid in the storage closet close to where they were just conversing. He had his hand over her mouth so she wouldn't make a sound. After all, she wouldn't be able to know what was going on outside, but one thing was certain; they had to get out before they were either spotted or accidentally killed. Adrian shushed her as he looked outside through a little opening in the door. That's when he cursed under his breath. "Out of all the Grim Reapers to send, they send the red one."

"What the hell is going on?" she tried to ask through his hand, but it was only muffled. However, they both heard the sound of an engine powering up and she buried her face in his body in fear.

He guided her face into his gaze and said, "We have to escape, but we need to find an opening so we won't be spotted. We'll just have to remain quiet." He could see that tears were beginning to form in her eyes and he hugged her to calm her. "I promise that I won't let anything happen to you. I love-," he said, but the fight outside really seemed to heat up, literally. Either someone threw something hot or actual fire toward the door because it suddenly grew hot to the point that Adrian couldn't even lean toward it to peak outside. They nervously waited for the fight to die down, but another object was thrown at the door: a chainsaw. She gulped at the sight of the blade piercing the door, a few feet away from her, but she shrieked when the blade began moving. Soon, the door was destroyed and the only piece left was thrown out, revealing the red Reaper that wielded it.

However, Grell arched his eyebrow at the sight of them. "Hey, it's _you_ ," he yelled as he tried to strike at Adrian, but was prevented by a whip made out of blue flames. Grell held back a painful grunt since it hurt like hell, but the two of them saw that it was the demon who was wielding the whip.

"Easy there, tranny. That soul is mine," she said as he started throwing blue fireballs at him. He managed to avoid them, but it was about to strike the couple in the closet. Annabeth embraced for impact, but she was shielded by Adrian's Death Scythe.

"I promise I won't let anything harm you," he said before gently lifting her to her feet and then carrying her in his arms.

"You still have some explaining to do," Grell said as he tried to attack him with his chainsaw, but he managed to block the attack and actually push him toward the demon. A closer look at the shop revealed that most of the glass displays were broken and most of the jewelry was beyond repair. Blue fire was everywhere, but it didn't seem to spread to anywhere. "Hey, you can't harm a lady like that twice! Now you are really going to pay," Grell said as he tried to attack them again, but was stopped when the demon pulled his hair.

"You little bitch! Stop trying to harm my next meal," she said as she tried to fight him up close. Adrian and Annabeth used the distraction to escape, but not unnoticed. "Shit, you let them escape!"

Grell jumped out of her fighting distance and got ready for another attack. "I have a job to do first, you beast. That man was the perpetrator behind those Campania abominations. He brought bodies back to life and he needs to be held accountable for his crimes against the Reaper Association!"

"Hmm, so I did find the right man for the job when I dumped her body. Perfect," she said before noticing she was bleeding from her head and arm. She chuckled at the sight and removed her left glove with her teeth to reveal a blue marking on her hand, almost like Sebastian's.

"Is it a demon rule to remove a glove with teeth? I mean, I'm not complaining when Bassy does it, but it's only your kind that I notice doing it."

She chuckled. "I guess you could say that." She looked at the blood running down her arm and onto the mark on her hand, making it glow. "But I'm afraid that we only just begun the fight, Reaper. I have yet to reveal my true power."

* * *

"What the hell was that?!" Annabeth asked frantically as they finally arrived to the funeral parlor. He made sure to lock the door and have his Death Scythe out in case they followed them. "Th-That man had a chainsaw a-a-a-and that woman was able to throw fire! H-How was that possible?!"

"Calm down, love," he said as he handed her a cup of tea in a measuring cup. "The real question is: are you all right? You didn't get injured, did you?"

"I-I'm fine. I'm just shaken up," she said as she shakily tried to drink out of the cup, but was having trouble. He put a hand on the cup to stop it from shaking and she was able to drink it better. "Th-thanks."

"I'm sorry I put you in danger. I should have-," he tried to say, but she shushed him.

"You wouldn't have known. Even I have learned how tricky a demon can be. Speaking of which, I wonder why she was trying to sell that necklace."

"It was probably cursed. Most demons try to sell cursed jewelry to either spy on their victims or control them. I'm just glad that he stopped her before she could sell it to you."

"Yeah, I'm glad. . . . But there is something you told me, or at least tried to say, before we were discovered. You were saying that you love . . . and then you were cut off. What were you going to say?"

Adrian blushed at the thought. Was he really about to say that? True, when adrenaline kicks in, sometimes words can slip, but was he about to say those infamous three words; words that didn't exist in a Grim Reaper's vocabulary? "I-I don't remember what I was going to say."

"It sounded like you were going to say 'I love you'," she said almost coyly. "Am I mistaken?" He couldn't answer back. This was a trick question for him. He wanted to say no, but . . . "I love you too."

Adrian blinked in shock. "Wh-What?"

"I said I love you too. For a long time now . . . especially after our last kiss," she said shyly.

He was in utter shock. "B-But you never said anything to me."

"I know, but . . . I was so afraid that you were unable to love that I didn't say anything. If you were as emotionless as Lilliana said Grim Reapers were, then I didn't want to waste my time. That's why I gave Alex a shot; if I couldn't love you, I could at least love someone else, but after what happened at the jewelry shop . . . the fact you almost said it . . . I knew you weren't as emotionless as people say you were. You've cared for me this much ever since I was reborn and . . . those kisses . . . I felt a spark. You're always on my mind and even in my dreams. I feel safer around you and . . . I love you," she confessed. "Do you feel the same for me or is it just my imagination?"

He didn't know how to respond. He has never been in this situation before. Sure, he had many women lovers over the years, but he never felt anything for them, mainly because he would outlive them anyway. However, with Annabeth . . . he felt . . . something. He would miss her dearly if she were to leave him or even worse . . . die. In fact, he missed her a lot when she left to work at the Phantomhive estate. He will miss her dearly tomorrow. He felt depressed when she wasn't around, which was far out of his character. The always cheery mortician . . . depressed? It was almost impossible, but somehow, this woman . . . this doll . . . managed to do this to him. Could he really be . . . in love? "I . . . I think I love you too."

Annabeth's eyes lit up as she heard those words and she got up to hug him. "I'm so glad to hear you say those words! I couldn't be happier."

"You know . . . you're the only human to ever hear those words from me," he confessed.

She looked up at him and asked, "Really?"

"Yes." At that, her eyes started to water and soon, tears began spilling onto her cheek. "Oh, please don't cry."

"I-I can't help it. You've made me the happiest woman alive," she said as she moved his bangs to the side to see his otherworldly eyes. "I didn't think I could love you anymore than I already have, but you saying that . . . ," she said as her tears started to consume her speech.

He lifted her chin with his finger and he smiled. "I never thought I would be able to love, but you are quite the exception, my beautiful doll," he said as he gave her a kiss. Unlike the other times, they were allowed to be passionate. However, he controlled himself and just reserved it as a romantic kiss . . . between two lovers.

* * *

"She . . . She's in love with that mortician?!" Alex and a blue-haired Lucille were looking inside the parlor through a window. Luckily, it was night, so they were able to hide in darkness, but they still had to be careful not to be spotted by a Grim Reaper. "I can't believe this! After all I did to win her back, she goes and falls for that . . . that . . . that creep!"

"I'm not pleased either, but you don't see me complaining," she said in an angry tone.

"No, but you had a nasty fight with a Grim Reaper, right? How come you look as beautiful as ever?"

"I only suffered a few scratches," she said as lifted her shirt to reveal a scar on her stomach, as if she was heavily grazed by a chainsaw. A scar like that looked like it could kill a human, but she was a demon, so her life was spared. "Besides, I was trying to get her to wear that necklace so I could watch her, but alas, I was . . . distracted."

"Well, I'm going in there to give that old bastard a piece of my mind," Alex said as he tried to enter the funeral parlor, but before he could even turn the doorknob, a blue flame barrier with a low glow surrounded it. If he touched it, he would surely be burned.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. That man in there is more than just a mortician. He is a Grim Reaper."

"So you're telling me that Annabeth is in love with a bloody Grim Reaper?"

"And it seems that he loves her as well, something that I thought was impossible, but apparently, it's not. She has two Grim Reaper protectors and a demon who can be a protector if ordered to. This has become more complicated than I thought," she said before sighing. "There's only one thing left to do now: go to plan B."


	9. Her Problem

Lilliana was at her desk at Headquarters, trying to figure out who this female menace was lurking around the streets of London. All she could do now was try to gather any more clues to who it could be, which is what she sent Katia out to do during her latest reaping assignment. It was about ten minutes since the scheduled death and she hoped she could get some new information that they could use. Surprisingly, the case was running cold. Despite her extensive knowledge of demons and their behavior, she couldn't pinpoint who this one demon was. Most female demons she knew were more seductive than outright deadly. They acted more like sirens luring sailors to their deaths, but what she couldn't understand is the body possessing. This demon had an agenda; she needed the body to hide herself, but why? Other than for Lilliana and _maybe_ some Reapers, demons didn't need to hide their identity since they aren't that well-known in the Reaper realm. So, the fact that she was trying to hide herself meant she didn't want to be seen, but by who?

Though, she knew one thing: the not-really-a-myth of the Demonic Reaper, herself. According to Bastille, her brother, she is quite famous in Hell, mainly because she is the only Reaper to be "raised" by Lucifer himself. Everyone knows of her relocation to England from France so it would probably make sense that this demon was trying to hide her identity from her. However, that still didn't make sense since a good number of demons had never seen Lilliana's face before, especially female. So, if this demon was trying to hide from her, it meant that Lilliana has seen her face before and could recognize her instantly without a disguise.

"A female demon that I know personally," she pondered while mindlessly tapping her nail on her wooden desk. "I only know one, but isn't she in Japan right now? She said she had business there, something about a demon sword that could control her demonic blue flames. I haven't heard from her since, but honestly, I don't-,"

Suddenly, she heard heels heading toward her desk and she saw Katia running full speed toward her. She eventually stopped to catch her breath before saying, "Lily, ( _pants_ ) we got a big problem."

"What's the matter? Are you all right?" she said worriedly as she searched for injuries on her, but luckily didn't find anything.

"No, not me. It's Grell! She's been severely injured," she said out of breath.

"Really? He got hurt? I find that hard to believe. Is he just being overly dramatic like the last time?" she asked skeptically.

"You know, for once, I wish you would call her by female pronouns, but still, this is no act! She arrived severely burned and bleeding," Katia said worriedly.

Usually, Lilliana didn't care for her theatrical coworker who constantly flirted with Sebastian, but one thing did catch her attention. "Did you say he was _burned_?"

"Yes! They are taking her to the rehabilitation center as we speak. If we hurry now, we can ask her a few questions before they sedate her," she said as she started running out the building.

"Wait! Katia," she said as she followed her. Did she forget about Lilliana's hatred for that place?

Soon, the two of them reached the rehabilitation center, but Lilliana was reluctant to enter the building. However, after a few encouraging words, she finally entered the building and they managed to find one white room with the redhead inside. "Grell! Are you all right?" Katia said as she nearly ran to hug him, but Lilliana stopped her before she could.

"He's already pretty injured. Let's save the hugging for later," she said as politely as she could.

"Katia! Out of all the Reapers here. . . . I'm glad to see you," Grell said weakly to his sort-of-best-friend. He then turned to Lilliana and continued, "Have you come here to gloat?"

"Nope, but the sight isn't too bad," she said with a smirk, but received a slap from her sort-of-girlfriend.

"How dare you say something so cruel to her?! You see how badly injured she is and you have the nerve to say that?!"

"I'm sorry, but I believe he had it coming. However, that's not the reason why I came here," Lilliana said as she approached Grell. Katia wasn't kidding; he looked awful. His clothes were torn, showing some skin, but it was covered with so much blood that it could have been mistaken for a red shirt. His heels, which were taken off before they got there, were badly torn and on one, the heel was completely removed. His wrists and some parts of his body were covered in black and red, mainly from the fire he had to endure during the fight and even his hair was badly singed to the point that they might have to cut it. Even she knew one thing: no one touches the hair and the ones that do might not be able to see the light of day ever again.

"That ( _censored_ ) bitch! Look at what . . . she did to me! Honestly . . . when I find her . . . I'm going to make her pay for tearing my precious coat!"

"The one you stole from Madame Red," she reminded, receiving a glare from Grell. "But can you tell me who did this to you?"

"It was . . . a demon," he said, almost as if using the little air in his lungs to speak. Their ears perked at the information.

"Anything else? Describe it for us," Katia said.

"It was a female demon . . . with dull blue hair and dull face and . . . red eyes, but I have to admit . . . when she possessed that body . . . she had gorgeous blue eyes."

Lilliana's eyes widened at the description. "No, it couldn't be," she said under her breath.

Katia noticed her change in expression and asked, "Do you know who it is?"

"I might, but let me ask one more question: did she . . . were you able to see the mark on her left hand?

"Y-yes. It was blue . . . almost like Bassy's." There was no doubt; it was her. "Oh, I forgot one thing . . . she has a tattoo of a sword on her arm . . . and it . . . ," Grell tried to say, but his injuries caught up to him and he passed out.

After a moment of silence and contemplation, Lilliana said, "I'm afraid that this female bitch might be too much for even us to handle."

"I highly doubt it, but what is her name?"

"Her name . . . is Lucille Mirasuka, the only daughter of Lucifer."

* * *

The sunlight shined on Annabeth's face. She was still asleep, but the sudden light managed to wake her up despite it being dulled by black curtains. She sat up on the bed and stretched her limbs, trying to stay as quiet as possible because next to her was her love. He was still sleeping and she couldn't help, but stare at him. She never really had the privilege of seeing his sleeping face. He always managed to see her sleep, but never the other way around. It touched her heart to see him like this and she didn't know why.

For their last night together, they decided to sleep in the same bed. They didn't do anything beyond that. All they did was kiss, and even then, they didn't kiss in bed. They just cuddled close as if this was their last night together, not just for now, but forever. She stared at him as if he was a beautiful sculpture made from the finest stone and even the long scar on his face was just an ingenious detail added by the sculptor. She couldn't help, but smile at him, but she could hear him stir, as if he was going to wake up. She quickly slid back under the covers, hoping that she could pretend to be asleep, but she suddenly felt his arm reach around her and pull her close to him. He kissed the nape of her neck and whispered, "Morning, love."

"M-Morning," she said in a surprised tone.

He chuckled as he said, "You didn't think I didn't take a sneak peak at you, did you?" She blushed at the thought; this whole time, he saw her staring at him. How embarrassing!

"I-I'm so sorry if I-," she tried to say, but he got on top of her and pinned he down the bed. She blushed immensely by the sudden action, but he kissed her deeply.

"There is no need to be sorry, love. I do the same to you when you fall asleep. You have the most adorable sleeping face," he said with his usual smile. She blushed more hearing those sweet words, which made him chuckle. "Such a blushing bride you have become."

"I-I-I'm not a blushing b-b-bride," she stuttered in embarrassment as she tried escaping his grip. He chuckled as he gave her another deep kiss, causing her to calm down and stop resisting. She was never in such a compromising position before. If anyone walked into the room and saw them like this . . .

"I didn't realize I was interrupting something," Lilliana finally said. They both looked her way and saw that she was wearing her Phantomhive maid outfit, but had a huge smirk on her face. "So, she's not your daughter anymore, I see."

"Lilliana," Annabeth yelled, but Undertaker didn't get off of her, even after they got caught.

"He-he, not anymore," he said with his usual giggle. "She has taken quite a fancy to me."

"But you said-," she tried to say, but was muffled by his hand over her mouth. She tried to get out of his grip so she could talk, but he was too strong.

"My, she is quite feisty this morning, isn't she?" Undertaker teased, trying very hard to keep her down.

Lilliana chuckled. "Yes, she is. I'm just happy that I got here before Sebastian and Ciel did. Who knows what they would do if they saw you two like that."

"Oh, I know. It's the very reason why you and master butler have kept your relationship a secret."

Lilliana nodded, but lost her smile as she said, "Still, the two of them will be here any moment to pick her up and take her back to the manor. I hope you packed her things last night."

"Yes, they should be downstairs in the back room," Undertaker said with a smile as he finally loosed his grip on Annabeth. "We'll be down shortly." Lilliana giggled a bit as she left the room and closed the door behind her. Once she was gone, Annabeth pushed him off of her, but accidentally onto the floor.

She gasped. "I'm so sorry, but you had it coming! You were pinning me down and I had to-," she said before he kissed her again. The feeling of his lips pressed against hers was the only thing calming her spinning head. He held her close and didn't let her go for a while since he knew that once he did, she would have to leave. He wished she could stay longer, but he knew she had to go and any breach in their contract could result in him getting arrested by the Reaper Association.

Eventually, he broke off the kiss and whispered in her ear, "I'll have to visit you soon, don't I?" Annabeth nodded and he got up to leave the room. "I'm sure you don't want me to watch you get changed . . . or do you?"

"S-Stop teasing me! I can dress myself," she said with red cheeks as she got out of bed and started walking to her room, shutting the door behind her quickly so he wouldn't try to make a quick entrance inside.

He walked downstairs and saw that Ciel and Sebastian had already arrived and Lilliana was nowhere in sight. He was about to get the bags from the back, but Sebastian said, "No need to worry about them. We have the bags already packed in the carriage."

"He-he, I shouldn't expect anything less from a butler as well-behaved as you. Speaking of which, where is Lilliana?"

"A pigeon flew in the shop with a small letter. She said she had to leave immediately and for now, she has granted me the authority to look after her while she is gone," Sebastian explained. Undertaker's grin soon faded at the thought of him taking care of her, especially after what happened last time. However, Sebastian noticed his uneasiness and continued, "Don't worry. I won't harm her; I gave Lilliana my word."

"I hope you keep it, demon," Undertaker said in a surprisingly threatening tone. Even Ciel widened his one visible eye in surprise. He even placed his hand on his eye patch for his own protection, in case he might attack. However, they all heard footsteps coming down the stairs and the tension suddenly disappeared. Soon, they saw Annabeth's smiling face and Undertaker smiled again. "Ready to go, love?"

She blushed and said with a smile, "Yes."

* * *

Lilliana finally arrived to Headquarters, now wearing her Reaper outfit. The carrier pigeon sent a letter from William saying he required her presence immediately without any other information. Although she had an obligation toward Ciel, her Reaper duties were more important. If she didn't fulfill them, she would be in a lot more trouble than she ever would be with Ciel. She finally arrived to the third meeting room on the right on the fourth floor, but when she opened the door, she was surprised by the people present inside. She saw William, which she expected, but also Ronald, Katia, and even Grell, who was still recovering from his injuries. His skin didn't looked as badly burned as before, but he still had bandages and cuts on his admittedly flawless skin. Reaper regeneration worked miracles on him.

"Ah, Ms. Kiliamo, I'm glad you could make it," William said in his usual stern expression. "I was dreading that you would stay at the manor and ignore our urgent request."

"Well, I can deal with a young boy's wrath and his butler better than I can handle a whole branch of the Reaper Association. Now, why did you need me to come in early?" Lilliana asked as she pulled up a chair and sat down next to Katia, who was more than happy to see her.

"Senior Sutcliff has given us some rather important information," Ronald started to explain. "It appears that when he was fighting that demon, he happened to run into a legendary Grim Reaper. What's that bloke's name again?"

"Adrian Crevan," Will said as he pushed up his glasses, unaware of Lilliana's widened eyes. "He is one of the oldest, if not _the_ oldest, Grim Reapers in our Task Force, though, he is retired from active duty. However, as we all remember, he is now on the lam due to an incident in a luxury cruise liner. I don't need to remind everyone of what he did."

"What did he do?" Katia asked. Everyone looked at her since they were all there, minus William, but they told him. She continued, "I wasn't there. Sorry for asking."

"He made these . . . 'bizarre dolls' from corpses that were embedded with corrupted Cinematic Records and they started to feast on the living," Lilliana explained.

"Corrupted Cinematic Records? Is that even possible?"

"He said he took a Record and added 'memories' to them, but they weren't real, so those . . . things . . . were incomplete," Ronald said.

"Not only that, but when we confronted him, he attacked us. He even had the indecency to hit a lady," Grell almost yelled, but his body wouldn't let him reach his usual volume. "And he also left my dear Bassy in a bloody mess. I want to be the only one to cover my dear demon lover in pretty red blood. It's not fair!"

"And while we are on that topic, are we going to ignore the fact that despite while he was attacking us and leaving us pretty injured, Lilliana was the only one to come out of that unscratched," Ronald asked. They turned to her and he continued, "If I didn't know any better, I would have assumed that he didn't want to hurt you in the first place."

"Or maybe it was because I am a more skilled fighter than most of you and managed to dodge his attacks," Lilliana defended in a subtle lying tone. They were right, he did avoid hurting her and she did the same for him. They valued their friendship too much to hurt the other, even when they had to.

"I get that he was like a mentor to you when you were under rehabilitation, but even I have to agree with Ronnie. He has more respect for Bassy than for the three of us combined, but Bassy got tossed up more than any of us," Grell argued.

"It doesn't matter who got hurt or not, what matters is that we have a general idea of where he is hiding if he hasn't started running," Will said, trying to change the subject.

"Oh and he was with a pretty young girl. When I was fighting that demon, he was trying to protect her," Grell added.

"That old bloke has found himself a companion? You sure she wasn't a prostitute or something like that?" Ronald asked.

"I doubt a man like him would just protect any hooker," Lilliana stated, but cursed under her breath for saying anything at all. She didn't want them to find him or Annabeth, regardless of her views of his "bizarre dolls".

"What did this girl look like?" Katia asked.

"Oh, she was surprisingly beautiful with her long blonde hair and gorgeous blue-green eyes. Her skin was fair, but I did notice some scars on her arm and neck," Grell recalled.

"So, if we find this woman, we'll be able to find him," Katia stated.

"Most likely," William said. "This is why I'm putting Lilliana and Katia in charge of Adrian Crevan's capture. I'm sure that our most skilled fighters should be able to handle the job."

"Wait, you already have us in charge of finding the demon stealing souls throughout London. Won't this overwork us?" Lilliana asked, trying to get them to drop the search.

"I'm sure the two of you can handle it. Besides, I have faith that you will be able to find him better than any of us. You have spent a lot of time with him while you were under rehabilitation. I'm sure he must have revealed something to you that you can use to find him."

"C'mon, Lily! The two of us can handle anything," Katia said as she pulled her close to her. "We can get that demon _and_ that bad Rogue Reaper."

Lilliana shot her an angry look, "Did you just call him a _bad_ Rogue Reaper? Having that title alone is bad enough for him and I, so don't make it worse just because of a crime! This is the type of bull( _censored_ ) I have to deal with everyday."

"But I didn't mean it that way-," Katia tried to say, but was cut off.

"You know what, ( _censored_ ) this," she said before getting up her chair and stormed out of the room.

"Wait, Lily, come back," Katia said as she followed her.

"Ms. Vendoa, please sit down," William said. She was reluctant, but did as she was told and sat back down. "When Ms. Kiliamo is like that, there is no way of convincing her to listen to you. . . . I guess our meeting is adjourned until further notice."

* * *

It had already had been a week since Annabeth had left Adrian and there was an obvious change in her behavior. Before, she was a cheery girl who got her job done more effectively than all of the servants, excluding Lilliana and Sebastian, but recently, she had become even happier, as if nothing can bring her down from her high, and she didn't fulfill her jobs as well as she did in the past. In fact, she almost fulfilled them as badly as Baldroy when he tries to cook meals with a flamethrower. She forgot a lot of her chores and always had her mind on other things. Even if she got scolded by Sebastian, she didn't seem to be paying attention to him, making him very annoyed. Lilliana, on the other hand, was very lax about her new behavior. True, she didn't like it, but she knew why she was acting like this. She was in love; she has seen many humans act like she has. However, there was one thing bothering her about it: she was in love with a Grim Reaper. There was no way he could ever love her back and if he said he did, he would be lying. True, she has seen Reapers flirt with human in the past, including Undertaker, but she always knew it was just a release or, in Undertaker's case, curiosity. Was he just curious now and just playing with her emotions? It seemed cruel, but it was just the way things were.

Sebastian was finishing his morning chores before he had to wake up his young master when he heard coughing noises escaping one of the servants' rooms. Thanks to his superb hearing, he could tell that it was from the women's room. Normally, he wouldn't enter the room out of decency, but one thing was certain: the servants were already supposed to be up before the young lord. He opened the door and caught Annabeth trying to drink out of a bottle containing red liquid. However, thanks to his keen sense of smell, he could tell that it was no ordinary drink or even medicine. "Good morning, Ms. Phoenix."

She was shocked to see him, quickly put the lid back on the bottle, and tried to hide it, but even she knew that it was too late. "M-Morning Mr. Sebastian."

"What are you doing still in your room? You were supposed to finish washing the windows in the east hall a half an hour ago."

"I-I-I finished it. I was j-just taking a break," she said frantically.

"Oh really? I just passed by and saw that some of the windows were still dirty and one was only cleaned halfway," he said in a subtle annoyed tone. She blushed severely and tried to leave the room, hoping to avoid his piercing glance, but unfortunately for her, he stopped her. "You have been very distracted lately. I wouldn't be saying anything if you were like the other servants, but you were so efficient before, even managing to clean up after those idiots. I don't know what happened during your vacation, but I hope that you will get your head together before I have to punish you. Now, get back to work."

"U-Understood Mr. Sebastian," said as she hurriedly left the room. He would have followed behind her to make sure she did her work properly this time, but curiosity took over him. He walked over to her bed and picked up the bottle that she forgot to put away. He opened it and took a whiff to see what it was. His instincts were correct; it was blood. However, it didn't have the same smell as human blood. He took off his glove with his teeth, stuck his finger in the hole, and tilted it so it could get on his finger. He tasted the drops and was surprised by the taste. It wasn't sweet and addictive like human blood, but it wasn't a bitter like demon blood. It was a mix of both, but leaning more to the bitter taste. However, he also thought about Reaper blood, which itself has a unique flavor, but the only Reaper blood he has tasted . . . well, in a lack of a better phrase, has been tainted. However, there was only one way to figure it out: ask the expert who has tasted all blood types, that is, if she would return anytime soon.

* * *

It was night when Annabeth finally returned to her room. She was beyond exhausted since Sebastian was being hard on her and assigning her a lot of chores. Yes, she was distracted, but there was a good reason why: she was in love. No demon could ever understand that. Heck, until now, she didn't know if Grim Reapers could feel the same way. He didn't know what it was like to have someone on his mind all the time, distracting him from everything. He didn't know what it was like to miss the embrace of the person you love or even worse, their kisses. He has never been in love before, so he doesn't know what she was going through.

She finally opened the door and saw that Mey-Rin was preparing for bed, combing her chestnut hair. "Oh, hello Annabeth," she said in her usual cheery tone, but noticed her tired face. "Are you all right?"

"I just had a long day of cleaning. I must be a little too used to working in the Undertaker's shop that I forgot how cleaning a mansion this big is like."

"Oh, yeah. I was the exact same way when I was first given the job. It took me a long time to get used to all the cleaning. You'll get used to it again," she said as she kept brushing her hair. However, Annabeth started to cough, alarming Mey-Rin. "You okay?"

"Y-Yes I'm fine ( _cough_ ). I just need to drink some . . . medicine," she said as she rushed to her bed, hoping to find the bottle, but couldn't find it. "Where is it?" she said to herself as she looked all over the bed, underneath it, and anywhere she might have placed it. "It's not here? Where could it be? Mey-Rin, can you help me find it?"

Outside the room, Sebastian walked by their room and heard the commotion, but decided to not enter like he did before. After all, he knew what was going on: they were looking for her bottle. She wasn't going to find it since he gave it to Lilliana. Speaking of her, he hadn't seen her all day other than when he asked her to try it. Where was she?

Suddenly, before he could move, his vision was blocked by feminine hands and he could hear a giggle from behind him. "Guess who?" a slurred voice said.

"Could it be my Demonic Reaper?" he asked as he removed her hands and pulled her forward so she was in front of him. However, he was surprised by her appearance. She wasn't wearing her usual vest and her shirt was buttoned all the way down, so if she moved a certain way, he could see her breasts. On the subject of being obscene, she wasn't even wearing pants; only black panties. Her lips were stained red and her eyes were blood red. "Lilliana! What are you thinking dressing like that?! Anyone can see you."

"Does it matter? Let them . . . Let them see. I'm sure Baldroy and Mey-Rin have seen . . . ( _giggles_ )," she said in a slurred voice, as if she were drunk. In fact, she _was_ drunk. How? Deities couldn't get drunk . . . unless . . .

"So, I'm assuming you tasted what was in the bottle?"

"Yeah and . . . it was really good! Reaper blood was just the thing I needed . . . after . . . after a stressful day at w-work," she said as she put her arms around Sebastian's neck. "I also need a little physical . . . release of sorts, if you know what I mean ( _giggles_ ), so I thought I could help you out a bit," she said in between giggles.

"If I remember correctly, Reaper blood has healing powers of sorts that can cure any ailments that humans have, but if a fellow Reaper drinks it, it makes them feel as if they were intoxicated. I'm assuming Annabeth has been drinking that for quite a while since the bottle was not full. However, what purpose would she have for drinking it," Sebastian pondered, but was distracted by a tongue-filled kiss. As much as he loved to do this any other time, especially since he could taste the blood in her mouth, he couldn't be distracted now. He pulled back and said, "Lilliana, this is not the time. I still need to put the young master to bed."

"C'mon, _Bassy~_ ," she said teasingly. However, anger filled his eyes at the sound of that sickening nickname. Only one debauched creature had the gall to call him that and even she hated it. "Am I being annoying, Sebastian darling~?"

"If you want any pleasure tonight, I suggest you stop calling me by those repulsive pet names. The last person I want to hear them from is you."

"Hmmm, really? ( _Giggles_ ) Well, Bassy~, I'm in the mood to be p-punished. What do ya say?" she said, but was soon silenced when he covered her mouth with his hand.

"Don't you have a job to attend to right about now?"

She removed his hand as she said, "This is the only time I choose my job over you . . . I mean you over my job . . . ( _laughs_ ) I really am drunk off my ass! I need to sober up," she said as she tried to kiss him again, but he pushed her aside.

"I told you, I'm busy, so if you would kindly wait in the bedroom, I will consider punishing you for your improper behavior."

Lilliana squealed. "Oh thank you, Bassy! I shall wait for you . . . but don't take too long."

* * *

In the wee hours of the morning, Annabeth suddenly woke up due to a nasty cough. Luckily, it wasn't loud enough to wake Mey-Rin since she was still snoring. However, Annabeth knew one thing: this cough is going to get worse if she didn't drink any Reaper blood. Only problem was the fact that she couldn't find her bottle. Where the hell did she put it? Did she accidentally bring it with her and forgot it somewhere while cleaning the windows? Did she just hide it in the room and forgot about it? . . . Did Sebastian take it? She hoped that, out of all people, he didn't take it from her. What reason would he have to take it? Did he want a taste? Sure, he's a demon, but he has controlled his bloodlust for this long. Did he confiscate it for evidence? What would a bottle of blood prove? So many questions were popping up in her head, but they were interrupted by another cough. "If I don't drink blood soon, I'm going to get worse," she said to herself in a whisper. "But how?" However, a solution popped up in her mind: Lilliana is a Grim Reaper.

The only problem with that is that . . . how does a human get blood out of a Grim Reaper? Would she have to steal it by cutting her and licking it up before the wound could heal or would she have to ask nicely? On the subject, would she even do it in the first place? Would she try to fight her? Probably because who would give their blood willingly? Even if she explained why she needed it, would Lilliana give up her blood? She would probably have to ask a lot of questions, but she hoped Lilliana would understand.

Annabeth slowly got out of bed to not wake Mey-Rin and looked at the nearest clock; it was half past one. Everyone, even Sebastian and Lilliana, should be asleep by now. She quietly opened and closed the door while sneaking out into the hall, looking for the head servants' room. Soon, she reached it, but looked through the keyhole to make sure they were asleep. Sure enough, they were, but Sebastian's chest was exposed and Lilliana's shoulders were too. Did they just . . . ? It looked like it, but she could see that both their lips were stained red and there were even puncture wounds on her neck, as if she was bitten by a vampire. Still, there was some blood that dried down her neck, which made this a little easier. All she had to do was not wake them, but don't demons and Grim Reaper have far superior senses than humans? It didn't matter; Annabeth didn't have any other chance. Unless Adrian was going to visit her soon, she would degenerate.

She slowly reached for the doorknob, but before she could touch it, a hand covered by a rag covered her mouth and nose. She tried getting out of the grip, shaking herself free and even trying to step on her assailant's foot, but to no avail. She tried breathing, but she noticed a sweet smell with every breath she took. All of the sudden, she felt drowsy and, against her will, began to close her eyes. "Rest well, Mary."


	10. His Lost Soul

Undertaker was in his shop, making some more biscuits before he went to bed. It was already late, maybe two or so in the morning, but he had a surprisingly amount of customers today. The body of the female jeweler that the female demon possessed arrived and it seemed to be rotting pretty quickly despite being a fresh body. Also, many other corpses seemed to have something taken out of them since there were bloody holes in their chests, but what was surprising was that none of them lost any vital organs, leaving one conclusion. Knowing that a rogue demon was around, it was safe to assume that their souls were stolen. He even checked to see if their Cinematic Records were still with them, but none of them had them.

The busy day left him tired, but not quite exhausted. However, having his dear Annabeth away from him was more unbearable than ever. Yes, he dealt with her absence before, but now knowing that they both had feelings for each other made things even more unbearable. He still tried to convince himself that this is some glitch in his emotions, but his heart couldn't lie. He told many women in the past that he was in love with them, but felt nothing for them and they learned the sad truth at their deaths. With Annabeth, it was different. He would feel as if a part of him died if she were to disappear or even worse, die. She was special to him more than he would like to admit. He couldn't explain it. The young girl he gave life back to had stolen his heart.

Suddenly, the bell rang from the front of the shop and Undertaker sighed. Many times, Scotland Yard officers would dump bodies in his shop, hoping he was still open to collect the bodies. "We're closed," he yelled from the back of the shop, but he didn't hear signs that the person left. He sighed as he pulled out the tray of biscuits, put them on a table, and quickly walked to the front of the shop. However, he was surprised to see who was there.

"Oh, hello Mr. Undertaker," Katia said with a smile, but he noticed her eyes were a bit red and puffy, as if she was crying not too long ago. She was wearing a slim green dress and her hair was nicely pinned into a bun, but her eye makeup was a little messed up, probably from wiping away her tears.

"Ms. Vendoa, correct?" he asked in his usual tone and she nodded. "What a surprise! I wouldn't imagine you working this late at night."

"Well, I'm not exactly working. I was looking for . . . Lilliana," she said in a sad tone, as if she were about to cry.

"Have you checked the Phantomhive manor? If she isn't working, she'll be there."

"I did . . . and . . . ," she said as tears began pouring down her cheeks. "She . . . was with that demon."

"Yes, they work together. It's no surprise that they would be-"

"They were in the same bed," Katia interrupted. "It's funny; I know about her relationship with him and I try to move on . . . but it's so hard!"

"You're a Grim Reaper; you're not suppose to fall in love, dearie," he said in his usual tone, trying not to empathize with her. He could now understand where she's coming from, but he can't hint that.

"H-How do you know that?"

"How do you think?" After a few seconds, her eyes widened and without hesitation, she pushed up his bangs to see his eyes. Undertaker pushed her away and she blushed, but soon regained her composure.

"I had a feeling, but I had to make sure, but how can you see without spectacles?"

"If you live long enough, you find ways," he said as he combed through his bangs. "Would you like some tea to calm your nerves?"

"No thank you; I won't be staying long," she said as she sat on one of his coffins. "I just wanted to talk to you about Lily."

"What is there to talk about? How you see her at work is how she is every day. She has no secrets."

"But . . . ," she said as she looked at him, noticing him bite into a biscuit. When did he get one? "Today, I messed up and made her real mad. I don't know what exactly I did wrong, but it made her leave our meeting early and not report to work today. I thought I would try to cheer her up and surprise her at the manor. I dressed up for her since I know she won't and fixed my hair and makeup. I even got William's permission to do so, but when I looked through the window to find her . . . I never expected to see them . . . so close together . . . She wasn't even wearing a shirt or something to cover herself. . . . . It breaks my heart knowing she does . . . that kind of stuff with him and not with me."

"Well, she is, in a way, part demon. She has lust, so she uses him to release those vices rather than making love. She's told me herself," he said as he took another bite of his biscuit.

"You two must be pretty close then," she tried to say with a smile, but she couldn't hide her true emotions.

Undertaker put a finger on his chin as he said, "I guess you could say that. That girl was always . . . different. Being raised by demons had a major impact on her. "

"And you helped her out when they gave up on her, didn't you . . . Adrian Crevan?" she said with her eyes no longer showing sadness, but slight anger. He arched an eyebrow at the sound of his name and she continued, "You thought you could fool me? I figured it out very quickly, but I needed to confirm some things to make sure it was you. For starters, when we were investigating Abigail Maxwell, Lily could have gone to any funeral parlor and examined the body in secret, but she came to you, fully open about her mission. Only a Grim Reaper would understand what she was doing. Also, your image is plastered all over the Great Library. Heck, there is a giant statue of you in the lobby! You may have changed your appearance, but you can't change those eyes. That's the only reason why Grell didn't compromise your location. He thinks your eyes are exquisite and wouldn't want to see them behind bars."

Adrian's expression changed from his usual smirk to a look of concern. "Figured it out so soon, have you?"

Katia nodded. "Yes . . . but I won't report you just yet." He arched his eyebrow at the comment. "I may have a job to do, but I know how special you are to her. You were the only person who was able to show her kindness when the Task Force gave up on her rehabilitation. Without you, she wouldn't be the person she is today, or maybe even alive. I also respect your work when you were an active member of the Task Force. Even in America, we knew of your legendary works." She started to get up from the coffin and leave, but before she did, she continued, "I don't want to break her heart, but I _do_ have a job to do and that comes first. I'll look the other way for now . . . but if we ever meet again, things will be different. I can't turn a blind eye to your misdeeds against the Reaper Association." She then left the parlor and Adrian couldn't help, but chuckle.

"I doubt that even a demon huntress like her would be able to stop me. However . . . ," he said before stopping himself. There was someone they _could_ target if they ever decided to get serious with capturing him. He doubted they knew about Annabeth, but he had a feeling that the redhead must have mentioned that he saw them escaping together. After all, Grell had fought Adrian on the Campania, so of course he would recognize him. . . . Now he was very worried about his darling doll.

* * *

"Wake up, love. The sun is shining. It's time to wake up," a familiar voice said. Annabeth slowly opened her eyes, but her vision was a bit blurry. There was a figure above her and at first glance, she saw her dear Undertaker smiling down at her. "Morning, love," he said, but in a feminine voice.

"Adrian," she called out sleepily.

However, he gave her a confused face. "No, dearie. It's me." She rubbed her eyes and blinked; she could finally see clearly. The long gray hair she thought she saw was blonde. "Wake up, sleepyhead. You're going to miss breakfast," Lucy said.

Annabeth got up from the bed, but noticed something was off: why was Lucy here? Her eyes weren't covered, but her viewing angle was a bit off, typical of a blind person. In fact, where was she? The room was a bit more elegant than the servant's quarters, but at the same time, it was far less elegant than any other room in the manor. In fact, there was nothing similar to the rooms. She slowly got out of bed, noticing the creaky floors as her feet put pressure on it. "Wh-Where am I?"

Lucy was quiet, but reluctantly said, "You're in Alex's home."

Annabeth's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door and soon entered Alex, who had a tray of oatmeal with strawberries on top and a cup of tea in his hands. "Ah, Mary. I'm glad you're awake. I thought you might like breakfast in bed today. It's the least I can do to pamper my lovely princess," he said in a loving voice.

"Alex, what am I doing here?" Annabeth asked in an unusual angry tone. She has been kidnapped once before, so she didn't want to beat around the bush before getting her answer.

"Isn't it obvious, love? I took you away from that manor and brought you here. We can finally be together, like we always wanted; no betrothed, no fixed marriages, no inconveniences. Just you and me . . . together at last," he said as he walked closer to her, put the tray on the nightstand beside her, and kissed her, but she pushed him back hard enough to hit the wall.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"I was giving you a kiss, like old times. Ow, Mary, that really hurt," he said as rubbed his aching arm.

"My name isn't Mary! It's Annabeth," she yelled.

"Is it hurt? It sounded like a hard impact. I can help heal it if it is," Lucy said, heading toward Alex.

"I'm all right, but Mary, you can stop your façade. You don't need to hide your true identity anymore. It's just the three of us."

"I told you that I'm not Mary and what are you talking about?!"

Alex frowned as he said, "That old mortician really did a number on your mind, didn't he? What did he do to you? I will make him pay for hurting you! He's really got you believing you're this new person, but I know the truth."

"Alex, I think you should be a little more . . . relaxed about this," Lucy said as she approached him. "After all, we took her from the manor-,"

"We _rescued_ her from that manor! They must have worked her to the bone and made her do so many demeaning tasks. However, no one must have tortured her worse than that mortician! He surrounded her in death and forced her to stay with him and not interact outside that shop."

"I was never forced-," she said before coughing.

"Are you all right? Do you need some water," Lucy asked.

"No, I just need to . . . see the Undertaker. He has the medicine I need-," she tried to say, but stopped when she heard Alex's fist hit the wall.

"No, no he doesn't. He's playing with your mind! He's convinced you that you need whatever medicine you're taking just so he can have control over you. It must be some addictive drug and going through withdrawal can release you from the spell."

"You don't understand. I need it," Annabeth frantically said. He seemed like a nice man at first who just wanted to get to know her, but instead, he has turned to a psychopath who believes that she is someone she is not, or at least, not anymore.

"Alex, don't you think you're being a little-," Lucy tried to say, but he grabbed her throat and pushed her to the wall.

"And who do you think you are saying that to me? I'm your master, remember? I give you commands and you fulfill my desires. That was our contract, correct? Now, be a good girl and stay out of this," he said forcefully. She gulped and had a terrified expression on her face. He smirked as he released her throat, allowing her to breathe. "I never thought I would see a look a fear from someone like you."

"How dare you?" she threatened as she regained her breath. "After I do all of this, you dare speak to me like that! How ( _censored_ ) dare you," she said, leaving the room in a huff.

Alex then turned to Annabeth, who looked absolutely terrified by what she just witnessed. "I'm sorry you had to see that, dear, but she was out of turn and I had to put her in her place. Don't worry, Mary. I wouldn't hurt you."

* * *

"What do you mean she's gone?!" Ciel, Sebastian, and Lilliana, with a hangover, arrived to Undertaker's shop after learning that Annabeth had disappeared. Naturally, the first thought that crossed their mind was that Adrian took her since he couldn't bear to be away from her any longer. However, their suspicions dropped when he asked that question in a frantic tone.

"We have searched the entire manor for Ms. Phoenix, but we were not able to find her," Sebastian said as he gave Lilliana a beaker of tea, hoping to relieve her aching head and she thanked him.

"How could she possibly have vanished?! Are you sure you checked everywhere?" he asked in a frightened voice. They were all shocked by his tone since they never heard it from him ever, not even to Lilliana.

"Yes, we checked the entire manor and even the surrounding area, but we couldn't find her anywhere," Lilliana said in an exasperated tone as she held her head.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if Lilliana was doing her job and protected her," Ciel commented as he watched his head maid finish the beaker of tea she was given.

She looked at him and gave him a glare. "I'm sorry that I've been having a really stressful time at work lately. You're not the one who was put in charge of his capture," she blurted out, but everyone stared at her, especially Undertaker. She sighed as she said, "Ever since Grell spotted him, they've been trying desperately to find him and make him pay for his crimes. They won't stop until they find him."

"Even if that's the case, it is not responsible of you to be drinking on the job."

"My young lord, you do realize that deities, such as me and the Reapers, cannot get intoxicated from alcoholic beverages," Sebastian stated.

"Then why is she suffering from a hangover if that's the case?" Ciel asked.

Undertaker interrupted, "Although we cannot get intoxicated by silly drinks, there is one thing that can give us that sensation: Reaper blood. To humans and demons, it is a cure for any ailment, but to a Reaper, it gives them a certain high. The question is: where did you get it, Lily?"

"Annabeth had it. She was drinking blood out of the bottle for a while, or so Sebastian had concluded. The bigger question is why did _she_ have it," Lilliana asked.

Undertaker sighed, but said, "I gave the bottle of my blood to her since she would die without it."

The trio looked at him in surprise. "She isn't exactly alive, is she? Technically, she is a walking corpse and the blood is delaying her decay," Sebastian stated.

"If you want to demean this miracle, I guess you could put it that way," Undertaker said angrily. "But you are all missing the point! Where is my beautiful doll that you were all supposed to be taking extreme care of?!"

"We have no idea," Lilliana said slightly angry, seeming to finally recover from her hangover. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to protect her, but balancing two jobs is stressful, since now I have to add demon and Reaper hunting on top of it. Turns out, the demon we are after is no other than the daughter of Lucifer himself: Lucille Mirasuka."

Both Undertaker and Sebastian's eyes widened with surprised. "A-Are you sure?" Sebastian said rather nervously. He may be a demon, but even so, he was always a little terrified by her. If there was any demon he would try to mate with, it would be her, but not because he wanted her. Quite the opposite: he hated her, but mating with her would make him one powerful demon. She had the reputation of being a very skilled manipulator and has caused chaos amongst demons for her own entertainment. She was not a demon to mess with.

"Yes. Grell had fought her at a jewelry shop and described her to us. It's definitely her. Even worse is that he came back a bloody pulp. If it were under any other circumstances, I would have no problem with him being maimed . . . but knowing that Lucille is out there wreaking havoc has me wondering one thing: what the hell is she planning?"

"She must have taken her," Undertaker said in anger. "When we were caught, Ms. Sutcliff tried to arrest me, but she prevented him, saying 'that soul is mine'."

Sebastian and Lilliana looked at each other, trying to also ignore the fact that he called their nuisance 'Ms'. "She wants her soul, doesn't she?" she asked.

"Well, Ms. Phoenix's soul is very unique. No demon has ever tasted a soul that had been dead and brought back to life. It's safe to assume that she wants to be the first to taste it," he responded.

"Are you saying my sweet Annabeth's soul has been devoured by Lucifer's bitch of a daughter?" Undertaker said furiously, scaring all three of them, though they knew it was justified, but only Lilliana knew the full context. For him, he was scared that he would lose the person he cared for most in this world forever without even putting up a fight.

"We don't know . . . but I could ask," Sebastian said. "Demons, especially those of her standing, prefer to dwell in Hell since when the human world can be pretty dull. If I can remember where exactly she resides, I can get some answers out of her. I'll just need some time."

"How much time?" Ciel asked. "I can't have my butler gone for a long period of time."

"Well, knowing how difficult it is to even get an audience with Lucifer himself and even with my high status, it will take a few hours."

"Oh perfect. You'll be back in time for dinner-." Ciel tried to say, but was interrupted.

"It's not as quick as you think, young master. A few hours in Hell are about a couple of days on Earth. Their days are much slower than yours to increase suffering of the underlings," Lilliana explained.

Ciel looked at Sebastian and ordered, "You will locate this daughter of Lucifer and get the answers we need as soon as you can. I understand that Hell is a confusing place, but there shall be no distractions or detours. Am I clear?"

Sebastian put a gloved hand over his heart as he said, "Yes, my lord."

* * *

It had been three days since Annabeth found herself in Alex's home and she has been terrified to death ever since. He was not like anything she imagined. The sweet man who seemed to do anything for her was keeping her prisoner in his home. He wouldn't even let her outside out of fear that someone might notice her, especially the other Phantomhive servants. He has seen them around to buy some supplies for the manor. Heck, they bought some bread from his bakery some time ago. Even while he was at work, he would make sure Lucy watched her. Though she couldn't see, she could hear footsteps and doorknobs turning and if Annabeth tried to escape, she would somehow miraculously stop her. However, it was clear that she didn't like doing this. In fact, she seemed angry. Annabeth has see her looking at a mirror and talking to herself about how she didn't want to be in this "contract". Whenever he came back home, she would immediately leave to wherever she lived.

Still, the most terrifying part of her imprisonment is not the fact he kept her away and threatened to hurt Lucy if she escaped, the only reason why she hasn't, but it was the fact that he acted loving toward her the other half of the time. He bought her new clothes that were usually too small for her, made her delicious meals, and even tried to give her loving embraces once in a while. Though, he has forced her to sleep in the same bed as him and he has tried cuddling with her, but she always pulled away. He bought her many gifts, including a pair of beautiful diamond earrings, but nothing would charm her, especially since he made her put them on.

Even creepier than that: he called her Mary instead of Annabeth. She made the connection that he was her former lover in her past life, but she never imagined this was the man she seemed to swear love to. True, he was very loving when he wanted to be, but the fact he kidnapped her and never let her outside made her wish she never even met him.

Today, however, Annabeth had been coughing uncontrollably and didn't even have the energy to get out of bed. Without her bottle of blood to cure her, she had been degenerating and faster by the day. This alarmed both Lucy and Alex, so much so that they brought a doctor to the house to examine her. "What's wrong with her?" Alex asked frantically.

"I'm not so sure," the baritone-voiced doctor said. "She's ice-cold and her skin seems to be turning grey. However, what alarms me is this," he said as he opened one of her eyes to show the clouded lens. "No known disease has symptoms of this nature. It's as if she is dead already."

"No! She can't be dead! I finally found her . . . She can't die on me so soon! We were going to spend the rest of our lives together."

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Maxwell, but I'm afraid there is nothing I can do. Also, there is a bill that needs to be paid," he said rather coldly.

"I'll take care of it," Lucy said as she directed him out the room.

Alex ran to Annabeth's bedside as he begged, "Please don't die, Mary! We would have had a great life together. We would have gotten married, had a few kids, and watch them grow up to be whatever they wanted to be. Please Mary! There is no life without you! I need you!"

She looked at him and said weakly, "If you . . . loved me . . . you would have . . . listened to me when I said . . . I needed . . . Adrian."

He looked at her angrily as he said, "You mean that bastard that poisoned you with some drug that is killing you when you don't take it?! I will never forgive him for this! In fact, he will pay!"

"Please don't . . . hurt him," she begged.

"Oh, I will," he said as he left the room. He slammed the door, leaving her all alone. For the man who would do anything for her, it was surprising that he would leave her when she was at her most vulnerable.

"Adrian," she said with her last breath.

Outside her room, Alex yelled, "Lucy, come here this instant!" However, she didn't appear in front of him and he yelled again, "Lucy, I order you to come here this instant!" Still nothing. "Where the hell is she? God dammit! This is when I need her the most," he said as punched the mirror. He slightly winced in pain as he examined his bloody knuckles.

* * *

"Ah, if it isn't one of my favorite demons! You go by the name Sebastian now, correct?" a man with long black hair, beard, and blood red eyes asked as he saw Sebastian enter his throne room. It had been a grueling two hours just to find Lucifer's castle, but he finally managed to find it and it took another two just to get in the throne room.

"That is correct, my lord. It's good to see you," Sebastian said as he got on one knee to bow.

"Would you like something to drink? I have a specially made wine just for guests in my castle, especially those that are close friends," Lucifer said with a wicked smile. He was sitting on his throne made of bones and gold and he wasn't properly sitting in it; rather, he had his legs over one of the arms of the chair while his head rested on the other.

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm actually here on business, not pleasure," he said as he stood up. "I'm afraid your daughter has caused some trouble with my master."

Lucifer sighed as he sat correctly in his seat. "Has my dear Lucy been acting up again? That girl has spunk, but it can be her downfall. What has she done this time?"

"She has apparently kidnapped a certain woman that is important to my young master," he said simply.

However, Lucifer arched an eyebrow. "I haven't seen her bring a human home or even heard any rumors of her kidnapping one, much less bringing her to Hell. Besides, she doesn't do that type of thing anyway."

"That may be, but I have suspicion that she might have and want to ask her a few questions."

"I see. Well, she might be in her room. With that girl, I can never tell where she is. Did you know she went to Japan recently? I didn't know that and frankly no one did."

"She is a free spirit who can't be held back by anyone, not even her own father."

Lucifer sighed. "That girl needs to know her place. . . . But enough about that. Come, I'll take you to her room and maybe she'll be there," he said as he got up from the chair and directed Sebastian to a hall only accessible through the throne room. On their way, they passed by many chambers, some that had open doors, revealing the occupant of the room. Some looked human and others showed their true demonic forms. Some, however, were empty and seemed to be abandoned, as if the previous occupant had been evicted. "Every son of mine is special in their own way. However, I'm afraid that most of them have come to resent me. I don't understand why; I've only given them their heart's desires: power, wealth, and for some, acceptance. I may have a lot of sons, but only a few know of their full potential."

"What about Lucille? She is your only daughter. Surely she must be special," Sebastian asked. Not once did he mention his daughter in his little speech.

Lucifer laughed. "I guess so. For centuries, I was only gifted with sons, but when I learned of her demonic powers, I was genuinely surprised. Her mother tried aborting her through chemicals and even religious rituals, but her soul was too strong to kill. However, something happened and she was born a female instead. When she was very young, she killed her human mother and the surrounding village around her by burning it to the ground with her demonic flames. Ever since then, I knew she was my child, but she seemed to believe that she should be something special just because she is my only daughter. Why? I treat all my sons equally, even giving them the same punishment if they are killed, but just because she is a woman, that doesn't mean I have to treat her any different."

"You make a good point, but don't you think that because of it, she'll try to overthrow you?"

"I doubt it. She can try all she likes, but I am Lucifer and I cannot be defeated, not even by my own child. Some have rebelled in the past and I put them in their place; to the deepest pits of suffering and distress," he said as they approached her door, but before he opened it, one thought emerged. "Oh, speaking of female demons, I hear you still don't have a mate."

Sebastian was surprised by the comment, but said, "Y-Yes, that's true. I just don't see any need for a mate."

"That may be, but even I have mated with many human women. It can be quite lonesome being by yourself, even for a demon as powerful as me. . . . Have you ever considered mating with my daughter?"

Sebastian's eyes widened with surprise. "I-I didn't even think she would even be . . . ready to mate."

Lucifer laughed loudly. "She is a woman; of course she has thought of mating. Though, she makes it an effort to _not_ mate to prove herself. Maybe having a mate will finally put her in her place. I would allow it . . . or are you too involved with Lily?" Sebastian's eyes widened again. "Well, there are rumors that you and our little project are working together. Now, I doubt she will devour the soul you have cultivated, but I'm sure she will soon fight against that damn Reaper Association and act like a demon again."

"There is nothing between me and her, I assure you, but I'm not sure if I would be the type of demon that Lucille would want to mate."

"Who knows? I can never read women anyway, even when their desires are clear as day." Soon, he opened the door and they could hear the sound of splashing water from another room. They saw that the door to her bathroom was ajar, but they couldn't see much. Lucifer chuckled as he said, "I guess you two will have fun chatting." Sebastian walked into the room and Lucifer closed the door behind him, leaving him alone. Sebastian had to admit: he was nervous about talking with her. She was known to be deceptive, manipulative, ruthless, and worse of all, seductive. She baits people into her contracts and plays around with the details so she will always be on top. Messing with her was like playing with fire; no matter how much you think you can manipulate it, you'll always get burned.

He walked toward the bathroom door and knocked. "Who is it?" a feminine voice said from the other side.

"Um, hello, Ms. Mirasuka. I'm not sure if you even know me, but in the human world, I'm known as-,"

"Sebastian Michaelis," Lucille said as she opened the door, but he was surprised to see her completely naked, not even a towel covering her. However, her body and hair seemed to be completely dry.

"Y-Yes," he said in a flustered tone, trying not to stare at her.

"I finally get to meet the Sebastian Michaelis that I have heard so much about," she said as she passed him and went to a dresser close to her bed. "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"I have some questions regarding a certain human, one you might know very well," he said, trying not to observe her bending down to grab some black panties.

"A human?" she asked as she put them on, slowly.

"I'm sure you are aware of a certain human named Annabeth Phoenix," he said. At the sound of her name, she stopped what she was doing.

"I know she is far from human," she said before going through her drawers again.

"So you do know of her and her true nature."

"Yes. She's a creature born again by a Grim Reaper. I'm surprised that one would do something as risky as bringing the dead back to life, but I guess this one decided to try something new; spice things up." She finally pulled out a matching corset and wrapped it around her slim body. "Would you be a dear and tighten it for me?" she said with a wicked smirk.

"I'd rather not," he said.

"Oh, you're no fun. You won't get information out of me if you won't do a simple thing," she seductively begged. "I'm sure you do this for my dear Lily." His eyes slanted in anger and she chuckled. "I bet you make it nice and tight on her to compliment that perfect body of hers. The feeling must make her grunt in pleasure. Ooo, just thinking of her delicious sounds just makes me all hot and-," she tried to finish, but he pulled the strings on her corset very tightly to shut her up. She moaned a bit and he immediately let go of the strings. "Mm, just the way I like it; nice and tight."

"I am not here for chit-chat. I only wanted to ask you a question. Do you know of Annabeth Phoenix's whereabouts?"

"I might," she said coyly as she slowly started putting on some black stockings. "But there is a price for that kind of information."

"I don't have time for this, Lucille. I have to return to my master-," he tried to say, but she pushed him onto her bed with her on top. "Luc-," he tried to say, but she covered his mouth with her hand.

"I don't think _you_ understand. In order to get information out of me, you need to do something for me. For an item as valuable as her, the price is pretty steep," she said as she straddled him. "It won't take too long, I assure you."

"Lucille, I do not have time for this," he said as he pushed her off of him, making her shriek a bit. "We may be demons, but I still have some self-respect for myself, unlike you."

"Oh, Bassy, you wound me," she teased. However, that nickname kindled a fire within him and he grabbed her by the throat.

"The more irritating you are, the more I just want to rip you to shreds and feed you to the dogs."

However, she laughed. "Oh, you're so forceful. How did you know choking was one of my fetishes? ( _Giggles_ ) I bet Lily loves this side of you. She has always loved a forceful lover, I should know. I bet you satisfy her needs every night."

However, he slammed her to the nearest wall and angrily said, "I am getting rather annoyed with you. Now, tell me what I want to know so I can leave." Suddenly, he felt a warm sensation on his hand and arm. With further inspection, he noticed that where Lucille placed her hands was where he felt the warmth, but it soon started to burn. He let go of her quickly and he soon saw the blue flames on her hands.

She sighed. "Oh well, I tried. However, I'm not going to tell you where she is since you didn't pay the price. But I can tell you one thing: I'm assuming you accused the Reaper for her disappearance. I think you should stop blaming deities and realize there are humans who want her, or should I say, her former self."

* * *

Lilliana was looking at the paperwork that was on her desk. She was almost done for the night; just a quick report of today's investigation toward Lucille Mirasuka and Adrian Crevan. For Adrian, of course she had to lie, but with Lucille, she was more than happy to dispose of her. In her demonic past, she had a grudge toward her due to Lucille's jealousy of her and her brother. However, she was a very powerful demon, almost on par with her father. Still, even with her power, Lilliana and Katia, who was a demon huntress, could bring her down. It would be a tough match since a hungry demon was the toughest demon to fight.

Though, Undertaker was an ever tougher battle. She didn't realize how deep in the web she had gotten herself into until the Reaper Association decided to crack down on his capture. Why did it have to be Grell who had to spot him? Any other reaper would have ignored him and not really report of their presence. Ever since Annabeth disappeared, he had been staying at the manor, hoping to ease the pain by "entertaining" the young lord. However, with Sebastian gone, Lilliana had to take over his role and it was tiring. She had an all-new appreciation for Sebastian and his patience to deal with the brat. However, it was going to be fine as long as they find Annabeth before anything bad happens.

"Oh, come on, Senior Spears! I already clocked out; I can't take on another assignment," Ronald said as he and Will passed by her desk.

"You were assigned to collect this soul and simply saying that you forgot isn't good enough for Upper Management," he said, handing him the file on a certain soul.

"But-,"

"No buts. If management noticed our sect slacking, it won't just be you on the firing range."

"So you're doing this to save your own butt? If that's the case, why don't _you_ collect the soul?"

"It is not my soul to collect; it's yours."

"What soul is it?" Lilliana asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

Both Reapers were startled by her and Ronald said, "Oh, I didn't realize you were still here. Aren't you usually at that kid's manor by now?"

"I have some time," she said as she got up. "By the way, William, I have the paperwork for today's investigation."

"Oh, thank you," he said as he took the paperwork from her hand.

"Hey, Lils, would you mind doing me a _huge_ favor," Ronald asked. "Would you mind collecting this soul? I already clocked out and I promised a special lady that I would meet her at this cool bar."

"Why should I? It's your soul to collect," she said coldly.

"Aw come on! I promise to collect the next soul you're assigned to."

"Still not worth it."

"Two souls?"

"I think you should promise her a full day's worth of souls," William suggested.

Ronald looked at him with a shocked face, but Lilliana smiled. "All right. A full day's worth of souls for this one soul. I think that's a fair deal," she said as she took the file from his hands and started walking away. She examined it as she heard Ronald's whiny protests, but was shocked by the name on the list. "Alexander Maxwell? He will die tonight in his own home from blood loss from severe wounds by an . . . unknown creature?" She looked at the time and saw she only had ten minutes to get there. "Shit."

By the time she arrived to Alex's home, she was ten minutes late, but it would make sense since she was given this assignment last minute. She sighed as she opened the door to his house, but saw signs of struggle. Well, if an unknown creature was attacking him, surely he would have fought back. Speaking of which, what was this unknown creature? It was unusual to see something like that in the file. They are usually very detailed, even stating if the soul was bound by a contract from a demon or even an angel, but never has she ever seen 'unknown creature' on a file and probably none of the other Reapers have either.

As she kept looking around for the body, she noticed the broken mirror, but below it was a pool of blood, followed by a trail leading away from it. She pulled out her Death Scythe as she followed the trail and saw that it led to a closed room. She opened it and was utterly shocked by the sight. She saw a creature with almost gray-blonde hair, gray skin, and green-brown nails eating the body of Alexander Maxwell. However, the creature was dressed nicely in a green dress and noticeably nice diamond earnings. As the creature looked up, she saw the blood surrounding its mouth, neck, the front of its hair, and chest. Its eyes were clouded, as if life never existed in them from the start. However, the scariest realization as it looked at her was who the creature was: _it was Annabeth Phoenix!_


	11. Their Fight

"'This way,' says Oscar," Snake said as he led Ciel, Sebastian, and Undertaker through the moon-covered streets of London. Sebastian was only slightly successful in getting information out of that bitch of a demon; only getting a riddle out of her, but after a discussion between the three of them, they were able to figure out who actually kidnapped her. They decided to bring Snake along since his snakes had a good sense of smell, even on par with any bloodhound and Sebastian.

"That bastard is going to pay if he hurts her," Undertaker said under his breath. He couldn't believe that Alex would do something like this. True, he was suspicious of him from the start, but he didn't think that he would do something as rash as kidnapping. Ever since she was taken, he had been staying at the manor and even teasing the young lord wasn't enough to get him out of his depression and worry. He worried for her deeply. Was she all right? Was her kidnapper torturing her? What was he doing to her? Was she scared? Is she even alive? Those thought and more filled his head every day. How could they not? She is the only being that he ever cared for so deeply. She was the only being in this world worth living for.

"'We're close. His scent is strong here,' says Oscar," Snake said as they raced down a street. It was dimly lit due to the fact it was already the middle of the night, but Ciel and Sebastian knew that Undertaker would not wait until tomorrow morning to find her if there was any lead to her captor.

However, Sebastian stopped everyone by saying, "Wait!"

The four stopped running, but Undertaker was annoyed. "Why are we stopping? He could be torturing her as we speak!"

"You don't smell the large amount of blood in this area?"

"'You have a good sense of smell Black', says Oscar," Snake said. "'But like the old guy said, we should get a move on'." Snake started to run, followed by Ciel, but Sebastian and Undertaker stayed behind.

"However, I'm afraid it isn't just human blood I smell. It's also . . . ,"

Soon, they heard a loud thumping from a house not too far away from them, right where Ciel and Snake stopped. However, they did not go inside and their expressions showed shock and fear. The two deities ran to them and they too saw the sight inside: Lilliana was fighting off a feral creature that seemed to resemble a human. She was covered in cuts and bites, both severe and not, on her hands and arms and her eyes were deep red due to the blood around her. However, on closer inspection, they figured out that the feral creature, who looked even more terrifying than the dolls on the Campania, was in fact Annabeth Phoenix. The sight was terrifying, but none more than to Adrian, who couldn't believe what she had become. "Annabeth," he worriedly yelled, distracting Lilliana from their fight. "Don't hurt her, please, Lily."

"I'm trying not to-," she tried to say, but before she could say another word, Annabeth managed to get close enough to bite her neck, but not just a small bite; one that could kill a human. Lilliana cried out in pain as she started to fall to the ground with Annabeth not far behind her, continuously biting her neck and shoulders to get more of her blood. The four looked in horror, but Snake, who was still traumatized by the dolls on the Campania, started running from the scene in terror.

"Wait, where are you going?" Ciel asked angrily, but Snake and Oscar were already out of earshot. "Coward."

"Lilliana," Sebastian yelled as he grabbed Annabeth forcefully and threw her to the nearest wall, cracking it on impact. Undertaker looked in horror as he saw his poor doll, who he still couldn't see as the monster she had become, being pushed full force into a wall, possibly hurting her severely. Sebastian, however, was far more worried about Lilliana to care about how severely he might have hurt the monster. "Are you all right?"

"S-Seba-," she tried to say, but she coughed off blood instead.

"Don't move too much. I'll try to tend to your wounds-," he tried to say, but Annabeth tried to attack Lilliana again, this time with clearly more strength than earlier, by clinging on to Sebastian's back. It took more force than last time to get her off him and away from Lilliana. "Dammit," he said under his breath.

"Sebastian, this is an order; subdue that monster," Ciel yelled. Sebastian displayed his silverware and tried throwing them at Annabeth, but a large metal object blocked his way. Even more shocking was the person wielding the object.

"If anyone dares to hurt my dear Annabeth, I will see to it that they won't be able to live," he said threateningly, which terrified both Ciel and Sebastian. Even on the Campania, he was playfully threatening, as if he wouldn't harm them on purpose, but this time, he was serious. The look in his eyes, now pushed out of the way so he could see the fight clearly, had no sense of cheer in them. They displayed anger and seriousness that were unfamiliar to them.

However, Annabeth tried running toward Lilliana again and Sebastian sighed as he had to put away the silverware and pick up his severely bleeding Lilliana away from the monster. He also had to make sure to protect his young master from her if she ever chose to go for him. He was in a tight pinch: he couldn't hurt the thing that was after them or else he would be hurt, possibly killed, for doing so. Even worse, he had to care for Lilliana, who was immobilized by the injuries she suffered, even going in and out of consciousness. He guided them outside of the house and into the moonlight, hoping to have some advantage over her with the open space.

"Annabeth, what happened to you? Why are you like this?" Adrian tried to reason as he tried to hold her back, but she was pretty strong for a doll. In fact, one could argue that her strength was superhuman. Even he had trouble fighting her off, which was saying a lot since he had immense strength as well. The dolls on the Campania didn't have nearly this much strength; they were easily defeated by Sebastian, Lilliana and those two other Reapers. Why was she so different despite now looking exactly like them, even having the blood around her mouth?

"Undertaker, I'm afraid you have to come to terms that she is no longer the doll you cared for deeply. She's a monster," Ciel said as he ran to safety by an alleyway. Sebastian tried taking Lilliana there, but Annabeth seemed to follow wherever he went.

"She is not gone! Her vision is just clouded," he said, but an idea flashed in his mind. Her cloudy vision . . . He grabbed onto Annabeth and looked into her eyes and saw that they weren't as cloudy as they were when they first saw her. True, it was a slight difference, but noticeable enough for him. He looked at Lilliana, who was still bleeding quite heavily, but he connected something. She's not following them per say; she's following the blood. The Reaper blood. "Sebastian, hand me Lilliana!"

"Why?" he asked, trying to set Lilliana down to safety, but it didn't work since Annabeth would follow.

"She's not after you, but instead Lilliana's blood. She's attracted to its scent," he explained as he ran to him, hoping Annabeth wouldn't follow so quickly. However, before they could exchange her, they heard the sound of two engines roaring above them and soon, a long spear-like contraption landed right in front of Annabeth, but not hitting her.

"How unfortunate, I missed," William T. Spears said as he retracted his Death Scythe. On his left was Ronald Knox, who had his lawnmower Death Scythe ready to go, and on his right was a fully recovered Grell Sutcliff, who was more than happy to have joined the mission.

"Oh Bassy~," he yelled with glee as he revved up his chainsaw again.

"Out of all times to show up," Sebastian said under his breath, but his focus returned to the fight in front of him, or at least, it did before the Reapers interfered. Ronald tried landing his Death Scythe on Annabeth's head, but Undertaker blocked him before he could.

"I should have known the unknown creature was a reanimated corpse," William said as he tried to impale her again, but Undertaker blocked his attack as well. "Though, I didn't think it was one too strong for even Ms. Kiliamo to handle."

"I guess I'm collecting the soul after all. At least we proved one thing: Lilliana _was_ involved," Ronald said as he tried to aim his Death Scythe for another attack.

"Aren't I amazing, William darling? I sniffed out her double-crossing ways a long time ago. Praise me," Grell said as he leaned in close toward William.

"What is the meaning of this?" Sebastian asked as he still tried to dodge Annabeth's attack since now, Undertaker was too busy blocking his fellow Reapers' attacks to hold her back.

Grell smirked as he jumped down to the fight below. He tried to get as close to his darling as he could as he said, "Let's hope that teaches her a lesson for being a traitor."

"She is possibly dying and you have the nerve to say that this is a lesson?!" he said angrily as his demon eyes flared.

"Ooo, darling, I love how scary your eyes look when you're angry. However, there is a matter I need to attend to," he said as he revved his chainsaw again and swung it toward Annabeth. Unaware of the threat, she headed toward the attack, slicing her arm, but not a deep wound. Meanwhile, Undertaker worked hard to fight off his fellow Reapers, who at this point were only attacking him.

"Adrian Crevan . . . I'm surprised you would go as low as to play with the dead. What you did was a crime against the Reaper Association and we will not let you get away with it," William said as he tried striking his Death Scythe toward Adrian, but missed.

However, Adrian laughed. "My only crime was curiosity. Tell me, have you ever wondered what would happen if you gave a second life to a soul?"

"That is not the point! You made those terrifying monsters on that cruise liner, killing a large amount of innocent humans. We can't just ignore that," Ronald said as he tried striking Adrian, but instead, he was hit by the shaft of Adrian's Death Scythe, sending him toward William, who jumped out of the way just in time.

However, their fight was short-lived as they heard Grell's chainsaw rev up again and hit what seemed to be concrete. The three looked toward the noise and were shocked to see that Grell had actually pinned Annabeth to a wall by impaling her in the chest to a wall. He made sure to keep it steady since she tried to move to get Lilliana's blood. However, it seemed that she felt no pain as she tried to reach her hands toward the direction Lilliana was at. "Annabeth," Adrian yelled with worry, but soon, his own shoulder was impaled by William's Death Scythe.

"Not so fast. She may be evidence to your crimes, but she is just as valuable if she was dead," Ronald said as he pulled out handcuffs and placed them on his wrists. Once he was in their custody, William retracted his Death Scythe, probably in the most painful way he could.

"Our mission was a success. Not only did we expose the double-agent, but we also captured the elusive Adrian Crevan and evidence of his crimes," William said as he pushed back his glasses.

"Could someone tell me what's going on?" Ciel said as he got out of his hiding place and walked toward Sebastian, who at this point, was covered in Lilliana's blood.

"Oh, if it isn't the brat," Grell said, still keeping Annabeth in place.

"If I must, we had suspicion that Ms. Kiliamo had been working for Adrian Crevan for a while now, ever since we assigned her and Ms. Vendoa to figure out the reason for the large amount of missing souls in London," William explained, "Although her bluff was unnoticeable for some, Mr. Sutcliff seemed to see right through her. However, we could never confront her about this since she would never admit to it. So, the only solution was giving her an assignment close to Ms. Phoenix and observing the results. We had to modify the details by saying that Alexander Maxwell was killed by an 'unknown creature' rather than Ms. Phoenix. However, we didn't expect that any of you would show up, or the fact that a demon would protect a Grim Reaper."

"She's my maid. If she were killed, we would have less help around the manor," Ciel said, but it was clear that Sebastian didn't feel the same way. However, he couldn't say anything.

"Oh, she's a maid, is she? I wonder what she looks like in a maid outfit," Ronald commented, making Adrian and Sebastian glare at him. "What? I'm just curious."

"Anyway, I think it's about time we take our leave. Farewell," William said as he and the other Reapers, now including Adrian, started heading back to their realm, at least, they were waiting for Grell to subdue Annabeth, but Sebastian stopped them.

"You mean to tell me that you put Lilliana in danger and now that she is severely hurt, you're not going to care for her," he said angrily as he treated her wounds. She was unconscious, but still breathing. "She could be dying and you three wouldn't care? True, I don't care for my own kind, but I'm sure you three have some connection with her."

"Katia _would_ be mighty upset if we left Lilliana here," Ronald said as he made sure Adrian wouldn't try to escape. "After all, those two are pretty close."

"One may argue she may be in love with that wench," Grell said, slightly rolling his eyes.

"Grim Reapers can't fall in love," William said. "It is beyond our emotion status."

"Oh, I beg to differ. How do you explain my undying love for you and Bassy?"

"I can't understand _anything_ about you, Sutcliff," he said as he pushed his glasses back. "However, we cannot ignore that one of our own has been severely injured. I was going to leave her in your hands, Michaelis, since I am sure you can take care of her yourself, but if you insist that we treat her, we will."

Ronald went to retrieve her, but as he tried to pick her up, he tried avoid any blood on her, but couldn't find a good spot. "Damn, I just cleaned this suit. I don't want to get blood all over it." Everyone sighed.

"Let me carry her," Adrian said gently. The three looked at him with suspicion. "You honestly think that I would try to run with a dear friend who needs serious medical care in my arms? I give up; you've caught me and my doll." However, he noticed that Grell was still trying to control the feral Annabeth, but he was too scared to even remove his chainsaw from the wall. "She needs Reaper blood."

"What? Are you insane?!" Grell yelled, especially since she was still reaching out, as if she was going to attack him if she had the chance.

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but she needs it in order to be her old, perky self. I'll show you, if you can just take these handcuffs off of me," Adrian said in a serious tone.

"You truly are insane! How do we know you're not going to escape once we do? We-," Ronald tried to say, but was interrupted.

"I already told you that you three won. I'm not going to escape when my doll is in custody. She is too important to me to leave behind, so at least let me help her," he said assertively. They were reluctant, but William gave them a nod and Ronald took the handcuffs off of Adrian's wrist. He then approached Grell, who was both scared and flustered by his presence.

"I-I don't need y-your help. I-I-I got her," he said in a fluster.

"You have done well, Grell, but now it's my turn. Please, step out of the side," Adrian said surprisingly calm, making Grell blush.

"O-okay," he said nervously as he pulled out his Death Scythe from Annabeth. She immediately tried running to Lilliana since her blood was still visible on her clothing, but Adrian held her back. He reached out to Grell's Death Scythe and slit his hand on the blades, scaring Grell. "W-What do you think you're doing?!"

"Trust me," he said as he showed the bloody hand to her. At the sight, she took it in her hands and bit it hard. One might have assumed that she bit hard enough to bite a chunk off, but luckily, she didn't. He grunted in pain and the Reapers and Sebastian started walking his way to help him, but he made a gesture for them not to. "L-Let her do this," he said in pain. They were all confused, but they decided to trust him. He was insane, but not so much that he would kill himself. However, as they watched, they noticed that Annabeth was actually looking better. Her hair was starting to regain its golden shine, her skin was turning back to creamy white, and when she was finished and opened her eyes, they were back to their blue-and-green shade that Adrian had come to love. Everyone was shocked to see the transformation. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, forgetting that she just drank his blood, but gave Adrian a tight hug.

"Adrian, I was so scared I would never see you again," she said as tears began forming in her eyes.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked, still holding onto her embrace. It had been forever since they were like this and he would kiss her if they weren't in front of company.

"No, he didn't, but he did terrify me and Lucy. He acted as if we were married, despite I was never allowed to leave the house, but if I ever escaped, he would hurt Lucy."

"Lucy?" Sebastian asked, scaring Annabeth.

"S-Sebastian, I didn't realize-," she said before seeing an unconscious Lilliana in his arms, now covered in bandages, but her clothes were soaked with her blood. "Oh my lord! What happened to her? Is she all right?"

"Frankly, my dear, you put on quite a show with your bloodlust," Grell said as he tried to approach Sebastian and cling onto his arm, but Sebastian moved out of the way before he could.

"My bloodlust?" she repeated, but looked at her dress and some of her hair, which were covered with blood. She thought she only drank Adrian's blood, so how did all this blood get on her? She then looked at Lilliana and made a connection. "D-Did I . . . Did I do that?"

"That and more," Ronald said, but his expression changed as he remembered something. "Oh right, the soul. I have to go collect it," he said as he ran off inside.

"Who was that?" she asked Adrian, but was soon approached by William.

"Hello, Ms. Annabeth Phoenix. My name is William T. Spears. I'm afraid I have to report that I must take you and Adrian Crevan back to the Shinigami Realm. He is a criminal to our kind and you are evidence to his crimes," he said calmly and collectively.

"H-His crimes? What did he do?!"

"I'm afraid there isn't enough time to explain. You must come with us," he said as they watched Adrian take Lilliana from Sebastian's arms. They noticed that his tuxedo was soaked with her blood, but he was sad to let her go, or at least, that's what Annabeth thought.

"Lily must have collected the soul," Ronald said as he walked back to them. "There is no Cinematic Record to collect."

"I guess she did manage to fulfill her assignment after all. Now that we have everyone, we can go. Let's go Ronald and Grell." Ciel and Sebastian watched as the Reapers and Annabeth walked away from them, but Ciel seemed to have no emotion for what just happened.

"So, her own kind betrayed Lilliana. And they wonder why she teamed up with a demon," he said, but noticed that Sebastian was still a little distraught about letting Lilliana go. "Sebastian?"

He snapped out of his trance and asked, "Yes, my lord?"

"I never thought to ask, but will she survive? I wouldn't ask if you didn't seem so worried."

"I'm not worried, my lord," he said with his devilish smile, but soon lost it as he continued. "But I can't say for certain. She lost a large amount of blood, enough to kill a human, but she is a Grim Reaper."

"But her fellow Grim Reapers seemed to give up on her."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," a feminine voice said from out of nowhere. The two looked around for the source of the voice, but Sebastian's eyes slanted at the sound. "She is part demon, after all. She can't be killed off that easily."

"That voice," he said angrily. Suddenly, large blue flames appeared in front of them and as the flames died down, they saw Lucille with her black slim dress that showed off her cleavage and a slit showing off her legs. She wore elbow length black gloves, but there seemed to be a tattoo of a sword on her right arm, the handle at her shoulder. Her blue hair was a bit curly, but her lips were a deep shade of blood red, but not because of lipstick. She had a smoky look around her red eyes that pierced into their souls, or at least Ciel's soul. To any other being, she would be quite beautiful, but Sebastian was far from pleased to see her again.

"Hello again, Michaelis," she said with a seductive smirk.

"What do you think you're doing here?" he said sharply.

"Oh, is that any way to talk to a lady?" she said as she tried to put her arms around his neck, as if they were a couple, but he pushed her back forcefully.

"You are far from a lady, Lucille. In fact, you barely deserve any respect at all."

"Lucille? Do you mean this woman is the daughter or Lucifer," Ciel asked, finally catching up with everything happening, but also did not want to be ignored.

"My, my, your supper is a smart one, Sebastian. You've seasoned him well," she said as she grabbed Ciel's face with one hand. "He must be a worthy soul indeed for you to season him this meticulously."

However, he swatted her hand away, "I would much prefer if you didn't touch my young master. Your mere touch could taint him."

She chuckled as she said, "Of course. Where are my manners? After all, I already had my meal for today."

"So you devoured Alexander's soul, I presume?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. His soul wasn't quite as delicious as the souls I have become accustomed to, but it was substance, nonetheless."

"I should have known you were in a contract with him. Everything concerning Ms. Phoenix seemed too coincidental for it to genuine. He had to have help from a supernatural being, but what would you want with a soul as mundane as his?"

She was silent, but said, "It wasn't his soul I was after." They looked at her with shock. "It was the soul that even he was after."

"Annabeth's soul? What would you want with it?"

She chuckled again. "It's not important. Shouldn't you be worrying about our little Demonic Reaper?"

"Why would you care about a Grim Reaper?" Ciel asked in confusion.

"She's a lot more than a Reaper, human. If anything, she is the closest being we have to converting to demonic powers, but was 'reconditioned' by her fellow Reapers to become the good little Reaper. However, there are a few tips even they couldn't shake off."

"Still, why would you come here? I'm sure you didn't approach us just to say hello," Sebastian said.

"You're right. I came to you to say two things. First of all, I want to say that you put on quite a show, but I wish that you wouldn't have let someone that I actually care about get hurt. Second, I am willing to make a deal with you two, if you're interested."


	12. Her Escape

"Please let me see Lilliana or Adrian! I have to see if they're all right," Annabeth cried as she was being pushed to a room on the far side of the rehabilitation center. When they left the human realm, she got to be with Adrian, but soon, they had to separate them as they put him in a holding cell, Lilliana in a Shinigami hospital, and her in the rehabilitation center. They didn't even let her clean up, but only pushed her into this room. "Please! I need to know!"

"I'm sorry, but my orders are from on high," a young Reaper said as he guided her to the room, pushed her in, and locked it before she could leave.

"Please! Let me go! You can watch me, but I promise I'm no threat! I just want to know if they're all right."

"I'm sorry, but I can't," he said before leaving her in the cell. She kept yelling for him to release her, but she was unheard. Soon, she began to cry, feeling helpless in her situation. Everything's that happened, Adrian's arrest and Lilliana's life-threatening injuries, was all her fault. If she had drank blood when she could, she wouldn't have been the monster she had become. Luckily for her, she couldn't remember much. The last thing she remembered clearly was her lying on the bed and the scent of blood filling the air. The rest was a blur until Adrian gave her some of his blood. She was a completely different person and she couldn't control herself. Her instincts took over and she became a monstrosity that ate the flesh of the living. The poor dear just . . . kept consuming until she could be filled. Who else would do that? She _ate_ a person. The mere thought of it made her want to vomit. True, it was her captor who she thought she could trust, but it was a _person_. Nothing could ever excuse what she did!

Not only that, but she actually managed to hurt Lilliana, a Grim Reaper. She was an inhuman creature that had incredible strength, but . . . she managed to immobilize her and potentially kill her. Sebastian actually looked legitimately worried for her, even though he was a demon. After all, why would he carry her with so much care, presumably when Annabeth tried to kill her? Now, she was being treated for her wounds, but there was doubt that she was going to be all right. Even the other Grim Reapers seemed to give up on her, as if she couldn't be saved. _Could_ she die? By her hand even? Could a human actually kill a Grim Reaper? She took it back. She wasn't a human; she was a monster.

* * *

"You can't lie to us, Adrian. We have strong evidence pointing to you as the perpetrator behind that disgrace on the Campania," William said as he, Grell, and Ronald interrogated him in his holding cell. They thought they would get his testimony or even his confession, out of him. True, he had Grell and Ronald, who were witnesses to his crimes, but they wanted to hear it from Adrian to see if they should file him under insanity.

"There is nothing to lie about. I'll admit that I did bring back souls from the sleep they were trapped in. I was curious to how they would behave in such a state. Despite they were what you called 'monsters', I found them quite lovely; free from the human chains that bound them."

"But you still attacked us! You dare would hurt a lady?!" Grell said in flamboyant anger as he slammed his palms on the table.

"I'm sorry, my dear," he said, making Grell blush a bit. "But don't forget that it was _you_ that attacked _me_. I was only defending myself against you and that demon butler."

"S-Speaking of which, you hurt my dear Bassy! I won't be able to forgive you for that!"

"I'm sorry, but he attacked me as well. What was I suppose to do against a demon?"

"Regardless of who was at fault in the attacks, you still violated the very basic rule: don't manipulate the souls of the living. Even worse, you desecrated them by deforming their Cinematic Records and turning their bodies into flesh-eating monsters," William said.

"You made us quite busy that day," Ronald commented, but was soon hushed.

"And not only have you done it then, but you've done it now with your new abomination-,"

"Her name is Annabeth Phoenix, if you don't mind," Adrian said assertively.

"All right. You brought back Ms. Phoenix's soul and although she seems to be in a much better condition than the others, she is still just as bloodthirsty as them. Look what happened to that boy and Ms. Kiliamo-,"

"And you want to scold me about what happened to Lily? The bloody boy kidnapped Annabeth and she wouldn't have been what she was if it wasn't for him. I had her under good watch and care if that boy didn't interfere. Besides, I'm not the one that almost abandoned Lily because she is different from the rest of us. Hell, I've been called a Rogue Reaper since I left, but I received no discrimination. Then you guys came in and separated her from her demon brother to 'recondition' her into the perfect Reaper, but she couldn't be, now could she? So, you brought me in to help her-,"

"We're getting off topic here," William said.

"What? Am I hitting a soft spot in our dear Willy here? Am I tapping into some unconscious sympathy for her? True, you and your sect have discriminated her for years, but if I remember correctly, there was a time when you and Ms. Sutcliff were actually friends with her. That's right, I know about the examination that she failed, but you two passed. Right after that, they called me in to help her. Her treatment was the reason why I left."

"He called me 'Ms.'," Grell said gleefully to himself, blushing uncontrollably.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Ronald asked. "I mean, I wasn't around when she was supposedly 'rehabilitated'. I just thought she was cool since she was different from the others, mainly because she was a girl, but regardless."

"Who's the worse criminal; the one who brought back the dead for experimental reasons or the ones that took an innocent girl and tortured her and made her into their own kind by force? I'm sure if she had the choice, she would have been a demon just like her brother and that butler," Adrian said with a smirk, but his tone was serious.

William's pupils dilated a bit, but he still kept his emotionless expression. "One is breaking the rules and one is correcting a Rogue Reaper. By that technicality, it would be you."

"But morally?"

"That's a human invention."

Suddenly, the door slammed open and in came a furious Katia, who had red eyes and had her katana in her hand ready to kill. "Where is he?! Where is that bastard?!"

"Ms. Vendoa, please calm down," William said, but he had to admit that he was scared. She was absolute terrifying when she was angry since she was usually the sweetest girl he'd ever met.

"You're telling me to calm down?! Lilliana is severely injured and you're telling me to calm down?! It's that bastard's fault that she's there," she yelled as she tried swinging her Death Scythe at him. "( _Censored_ ) you, you killer!"

"Katia, please calm down, darling," Grell said as he held her back as she continuously swung her katana at him.

"But he got her hurt! He . . . he . . . he . . . ," she said before she started to cry.

Grell gave her a hug and rubbed her back as he said, "It's all right. I know how you feel for her, even though I will never understand why. However, killing him won't be the best idea."

"But he could have killed Lily! This bastard was suppose to be her friend, but he . . . ," she tried to say, but words wouldn't come out. Her eyes were slowly turning back to green as she took in deep breaths.

"So, when were you going to tell me you got another Rogue Reaper?" Adrian asked. She glared at him, but didn't say anything. "However, she's labeled that for different reasons than Lilliana. That much is clear since there is no discrimination against her."

"You would be _dead_ wrong," she said, tightening the grip on her katana, but her eyes still stayed green. "I only fit in because everyone here is used to being around a Rogue Reaper already, one more dangerous than me apparently since I was warned to stay away from her," she said as she looked at Grell.

"Why are you staring at me? I only said that because it's true."

"But . . . there's a lot more to her than you realize."

"I know she has a hunk of a demon brother and she works for that brat. What else do I need to know?"

"Still, we need to clarify that it wasn't Adrian that hurt Lilliana, but it was his abomination-" William tried to say, but was interrupted.

"Annabeth," he corrected.

"Right. Annabeth. _She_ was the one that took bites out of Ms. Kiliamo."

"That may be so, but _he_ is the one who made her. He has responsibility over that _thing_!"

"She isn't a thing," Adrian yelled as he slammed his hands on the table, startling everyone, even William. "She is a living human being and I would greatly appreciate it if you treated her as such!"

"Human? Are you kidding me?" Katia asked as her eyes grew back red. "You call that thing a human? She feasted on the flesh of the living! That _thing_ is not normal! I'm sorry, Adrian, but I cannot let it roam around, supervised or not. She is a menace and needs to be destroyed and as the creator, you should be locked away for your crimes. I don't care how much Lily respects you."

"And how do you think she'll react to such a rash decision?"

She was silent for a while, but said, "I'm sure she would understand better than anyone that you violated the rules and need to be punished. If you cared about her, you wouldn't have involved her in this sick little play of yours! That thing isn't alive; it's a living corpse. The fact it needs Reaper blood to survive is sickening."

"But have you ever been curious to know how a human would react to a second chance in life. Her life wasn't very satisfying for it to end so abruptly."

"I don't care if she had a good previous life or a terrible one. What I do care is that thing she has become is not normal. Besides, you have disgraced the sanctity of life and death. It is beyond disrespectful to disrupt the order."

"Oh, but couldn't I argue that we are all just living corpses just like her?"

"We were chosen to become Reapers," William said.

"But have you ever been curious to know what your life was like before you died? Ms. Sutcliff could have been the most beautiful woman that ever existed." Grell blushed at the thought that raced in his head. "That boy there could have been the most successful ladies' man in the world with women flocking to him." Ronald smiled. "William here might have been a very important businessman that had everything he ever wanted in life." William had to force himself not to smile. "And Ms. Vendoa, perhaps you were a woman in search of love because you couldn't get it from whoever was keeping you down."

She blushed, but angrily said, "So what?! You've disrupted the natural order and need to pay!"

"We will handle it on our own, Ms. Vendoa and if you don't want to be detained yourself, I suggest you leave the room," William said sternly.

She glared at him, but took a deep breath and her eyes turned back green. However, she walked up to him and said, "This isn't over. If something happens to Lily, I won't hesitate in killing that creature." Adrian got up, as if he was about to walk up or even attack her for saying that, but sat back down.

"That will not be necessary. She is vital evidence and if we were to lose her in any way-,"

"Oh yeah, _she's_ the vital evidence! Not his confession or Lilliana's injuries. How can you say that when she could be dying-,"

"I highly doubt that. She's got demon's fate on her side," Adrian commented.

She took a deep breath and looked at Will, but said, "It's like you don't care about her at all."

"Actually, he cares about her more than you realize," Grell commented. William glared at him, but he only chuckled. "Don't think I haven't noticed. Why else would I up my flirting game whenever she's around?"

"I've noticed too, boss," Ronald said.

"Regardless, we will deal with Adrian and Annabeth the traditional way and pray that Ms. Kiliamo will be all right. For now, would you kindly exit the room and we will inform you of our decision," William said. She glared at him, but she left the room, followed by Ronald.

"I'll be back, boss. I just want to make sure she doesn't do anything too bad," he said before he left.

"Can I just have one day at work without having a headache?"

* * *

Night fell in the Shinigami Realm and Annabeth couldn't sleep. How could she? She was stuck in this room with no knowledge of what was to become of her. However, that wasn't her biggest concern. For starters: will Lilliana recover? They had mixed feelings surrounding her recovery, but Adrian seemed to believe she would be fine. She hoped so. She could never forgive herself if she died. Also, her biggest concern was for her love, Adrian. What were they going to do to him? They did say that he needed to "pay for his crimes", but she had no idea what those crimes were. Was it as bad as they say or was he falsely accused? She hoped the latter, but if that's the case, why wouldn't he fight back? She remembered them talking about the 'others on the Campania', but she never figured out what they were talking about. All she could hope for now is that everything would be all right: Lilliana would be healed and she and Adrian could finally leave and be happy.

Still, being in this isolated room terrified her. Were they going to come back to torture her? How long would they keep her here? Would they keep her here forever? Would she ever see Adrian again? These thoughts and more prevented her from sleeping. In fact, the room was driving her mad. Everything was just too white: the furniture, the bed, the sheets, everything. There were no decorations or anything to distract her from the madness, but all she could do were close her eyes and try to dream of her true love saving her from this hell.

Suddenly, she heard the door open down the hall and she quickly sat up on the bed. Her heart raced and sweat started to form. Who was that? Soon, she heard footsteps walking down the hall and she started to shake uncontrollably. What did they want? Then, she saw a shadow on the other side of the little window of the room followed by the sound of the door unlocking. The door opened and all she could see was a shadow and it walked into the room. "Don't be afraid, Annabeth, I'm here to help you," a raspy female voice said.

"Wh-Who are you-," she tried to ask out of fright before a hand covered her mouth, making her even more scared.

"No time for questions. Just follow me. Understood?" Annabeth nodded slowly and the shadow let go of her face. "And don't make a peep or else they'll catch us."

The shadow led her out of the room, down the hallway, passing the sleeping guard with a sword Death Scythe in her hand, out the rehabilitation center, and soon through a portal back into the human realm. She made sure to be quiet or else she would have to outrun Grim Reapers, and being a human, she wouldn't get too far. The shadow didn't speak to her the entire time and she wondered who it was? Was it Adrian? No, because he would have said so and she would recognize his soothing voice. Was it Lilliana? No, she was injured and the voice is far too raspy to be hers. Maybe the other Grim Reapers? No, because they were determined to keep her as evidence. Who was this mysterious person?

However, as they reached the human realm, she finally got a good look at the person thanks to the moonlight, or at least, as much as she could. The person was wearing a dark green hooded cape that covered her face. The person was female due to the noticeable curves on her body. "I have to take you somewhere safe," the person said.

"Wait, who are you?" She didn't answer, but directed her to a place very familiar to Annabeth: the Phantomhive Manor. She was shocked she was being taken there, but she knew this would probably be the safest place for her at a time like this. The woman knocked on the front door and waited anxiously for that devilish butler to answer. Annabeth got a better look at the person and noticed that she had bandages around her. Wait, it couldn't be . . .

Soon, the door opened and Sebastian poked his head out. However, he glared at Annabeth, still upset for what happened to Lilliana. "Huh, I thought they would keep better care of their things," he commented.

"Sebastian," the person said in that raspy voice.

He looked at her and said, "I'm sorry, but the young lord isn't expecting guests at this hour."

"Sebastian, it's me," the woman said as she took off the hood to reveal her face: it _was_ Lilliana. Both of them looked in utter shock. How could she be fine now?! Several hours ago, she was on the verge of life and death, but now she seemed to be recovered. Well, maybe 'recovered' wasn't the best word; she still had the bandages all over her arms and torso, her voice was raspy due to the bite out of her neck, and she just . . . didn't look too good.

"Lilliana," he said under his breath before he hugged her, which surprised Lilliana, but she winced in pain. As soon as he heard her wince, he pulled back immediately. "I'm sorry, but you do realize that you had me worried."

" _I_ worried a _demon_? Have you gotten soft, Sebby darling?" she teased, making him chuckle.

"Please come in. We have a lot to discuss," he said as he let the two women into the manor. "And please keep your voices down since I have put the master to bed not too long ago." He directed them to the nearest room and proceeded to make some tea and sweets for his fellow servants.

The two waited anxiously, but one thing was on Annabeth's mind. "Why did you save me? If I were you, I would have left myself in that prison. After all, I was the one who hurt you severely."

Lilliana chuckled. "Honestly, that's not the worst thing a person has done to me. Anyway, I saved you because I know how much Adrian cares about you and I can't let you be terminated if that decision has been made."

"But-,"

"Would you rather have me put you back in that cell?" She shook her head. "I thought so. Anyway, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything happened to you or Adrian."

"D-Did you manage to get him out? Please tell me you did," she said in a worried tone, far more worried than she wished she expressed.

Lilliana arched an eyebrow, but said, "In my state, there would be no way. I only managed to free you because I knew that there would be minimal security around a human. Adrian, on the other hand, is heavily guarded that even I at my full strength would have a hard time getting him out."

"Oh," she said before Sebastian returned with a cart of tea and sweets.

"Our tea tonight is Earl Grey accompanied by a chocolate soufflé," he said as he gave the tea and dessert to them and Annabeth wasted no time in eating the dessert since she now realized how hungry she was; she hadn't eaten practically all day other than the human flesh she devoured. Lilliana chuckled, but soon began to cough, covering her mouth as she did. However, when she pulled back her hand, she saw blood.

"Well, I'm going to have to deal with that for a while," she said as she grabbed a napkin and wiped off the blood.

"Again, I'm very sorry for what I did," Annabeth said with a mouth full of soufflé.

"I forgive you. I know it wasn't really you who attacked me, but I'm surprised that after taking a few chunks out of me, you didn't go back to your normal self, especially if Reaper blood is the only way to subdue . . . the corpse you."

"Perhaps it's because you aren't exactly fully a Reaper," Sebastian commented as he took a seat next to Lilliana and tried to help her eat the soufflé, as if she was a child, but she swatted his hand away.

"I'm not a child; I can feed myself," she said angrily, but he chuckled.

"I know you're not, but I would like to pamper you a bit since you are injured." She blushed and gave him an angry look, but reluctantly allowed him to feed her, making Annabeth giggle a bit. They glared at her, but she quickly sipped her tea as if nothing was amiss.

"Anyway, I should be getting back. If I'm gone when the nurse checks on me, I will be in a lot of trouble," she said as she tried to get up, but was stopped.

"Wait, Lilliana, don't go! I have a lot of questions that I need answered," Annabeth pleaded.

"I can't stay. I need to look like I never-,"

"At least answer this question: what crime has Adrian committed, if he committed one at all?"

"Oh, he committed the crime. Make no mistake of that," Sebastian said.

Lilliana sighed, but she said, "He messed with the order of life and death. Once a human dies, we are suppose to collect their souls and evaluate if they are worthy of a second chance or not. Usually, it's the latter. However, he gave life to the souls that were already deemed worthy of death, but not in a humane way, like you. He botched their Cinematic Records and gave them false memories that distorted their humanity and made them into monsters. They ate the flesh of the living and there seemed to be no soul within them. There was no salvation for them and I have to admit, I thought he was sick for doing such a thing . . . until you."

"M-Me?"

"Yes. On the Campania Cruise Liner, Undertaker mentioned his curiosity of a second chance of a human life. How would humans behave if they were given a second chance? Even though he will never admit it, those monstrosities on the Campania were a failure and forever cemented an image of zombies to the idea of a resurrected human . . . but then there you arrived. You were different. You still maintained your humanity, your personality, and partially your memories. You were . . . just another human being. If it wasn't for you . . . I would never get to know why Undertaker would be so curious. He managed to make a perfect human being . . . well, one that needs Reaper blood to live, but still perfect."

"Well, to you, maybe," Sebastian said.

"Still, I need to go."

"Before you do, I want to give you something," Sebastian said before reaching into his pockets and pulling out a simple silver ring. She was surprised, but he explained, "This ring will help you heal quicker."

"Where did you get this?" she asked curiously. He was a demon, after all, and there were many demons she didn't trust.

"Lucifer, surprisingly." Her eyes widened with surprise. "I was as shocked as you, but apparently, he was watching all of us fight and how injured you were. As his underling, he wanted to make sure you would heal quickly."

She smiled and laughed. "'Underling'. Yep, that is like him. Ok, I'll take it." She took the ring from his hand and out it on her right ring finger. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said with a smile, but as soon as she turned away, his smile vanished.

"Annabeth, I want you to stay here and act as if nothing has happened. We don't want to alarm the other servants anymore than they are already. Sebastian, please look after her until I get back."

"Of course," he said with a little bow.

* * *

"I want you to give Lilliana this ring," Lucille had said back at the street when she was talking with Sebastian and Ciel.

"Why would I trust anything you have to offer?"

"I'm certain that you wouldn't want to watch our little Demonic Reaper suffer due to her injuries. I'm certain she won't die, but I'm sure she'll be recovering for a long time after her injuries. I mean, she is strong, but even I don't know her limits."

"How am I suppose to give this to her if she is in the Shinigami Realm?"

"They will discharge her because she seems to be recovering, but we both know that she will be far from fully recovered. This ring will help heal her wounds so she will be her old self in no time."

"And what is the price for this? I know you don't like doing favors for others without something in return."

She chuckled. "This is a gift from Lucifer. It is not mine to put a price on."

"How would he know about her injuries if he wasn't here to witness it?"

"You are just full of questions today. You do realize that Lucifer knows all and he doesn't want to see his little Demonic Reaper suffering." Sebastian was reluctant, but took the ring from her hand and she smiled. "Pleasure doing business with you."


	13. Her Contract

Adrian was kept in a high security prison some distance away from the London Headquarters. The prison itself was very small since there were never a high number of Reaper criminals or demons or angels that needed to be detained. In fact, he was the only one they had in a long time. Even Lilliana wasn't kept here when they detained her. It seemed to look abandoned, but it was cleaned thoroughly every time a criminal came in. Adrian made sure to not show any resistance since he knew that it wasn't only his life at stake; his dear Annabeth must be scared to death. She was taken to a foreign realm against her will and she must be worried sick for him and Lilliana, who she believed she might have killed. Although he had faith that both of them would be all right, he knew that the guilt would consume Annabeth. The poor delicate girl needed to be comforted, but they were separated and couldn't communicate with each other. It was as unbearable for him as it was for her. He needed to make sure his love was all right.

"Ugh, why did I have to get stuck with guard duty?" Grell complained for maybe the millionth time since they brought him here. However, he wasn't wearing his usual red coat; it was hanging on a hook nearby. He had his hair curled a bit, especially at the ends, mostly to hide the fact that it was burned by blue flames a few days ago. He wore a little more makeup than usual, especially his favorite very red lipstick. "Will is a cold man, but I didn't think he would force me to stay in this dreary place."

"Well, you are the one with a chainsaw in case I did escape," Adrian commented.

"But Will is a sharpshooter with his Death Scythe. Trust me, I would know. He has hit me plenty of time with that long stick of his." Adrian started laughing hysterically at the statement, almost to the point he couldn't breathe and Grell was confused. "What's so funny?!"

"I'm not even going to say," he said in between laughter.

Soon, Grell finally realized what he was laughing at and his cheeks flushed bright red, but soon angrily said, "Get your mind out of the gutter! You're in the presence of a lady."

"I know and I'm sorry, but I couldn't control myself."

Grell scoffed as he sat back down on the chair outside the cell and filed his red nails. "Such a vulgar man."

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I must admit that is the most laughter I've got in a long time. I know you didn't intentionally make that joke."

"Still, you're just as vulgar as you were on that ship. I still haven't forgiven you for injuring me not only then, but also in that shop. In fact, if you were cooperative, I wouldn't have been beaten to a bloody pulp by that damn demon!"

"I'm sorry, dearie, but you do realize I had to protect not only myself, but my doll as well. That demon wanted her soul, if I remembered correctly."

"I don't see why you care so much for that thing. She's just a corpse brought back to life. You can make another one if you wanted if she got hurt . . . I probably shouldn't have said that."

Adrian chuckled, but said, "She's special. She's unlike the other dolls on the Campania, so I need to protect her."

"Why? Is it because she's just some eye candy for you?" he said with a subtle jealous tone.

"No. In fact, quite the opposite. I value her personality and because I created her, I feel the need to protect her."

"I still don't understand. You left those creatures to fend for themselves on that cruise liner, so what makes her any different other than the fact that she seems to be more alive?"

"I honestly can't find a way to explain it," he said as he walked to the barred door and leaned against it. Grell shrieked a bit when he saw how close he was to him and jumped up from his seat. However, he soon calmed down and sat back down, facing away from him. "If I had to describe it, I guess I would compare it to the love you would give a child." At those words, Grell placed a hand on his stomach and had a somber look on his face. "Though, I must admit that I don't see her as a child."

"But you still gave her life. She is a little creation that you made," he said in a surprisingly sad tone that Adrian couldn't help, but be curious about. "You're one of the lucky ones."

" _I'm_ the lucky one? Wasn't I the crazy manic that created monsters from corpses?" he asked with a smirk, making Grell blush.

"Y-Yes, you are. Y-Y-You still are! It's just . . . If I told you something, will you promise not to tell anyone, especially that doll or Lilliana?"

Adrian put a hand over his heart and raised the other up as he said, "I promise, my lady." That name alone made Grell's cheeks turn redder than his hair.

"I-I-I always wanted to have a child of my own, but having a male body, I obviously can't."

"But have you forgotten that Grim Reapers cannot procreate anyway? We are deities of death. Not even female Reapers can get pregnant, even if their partners were human or any other deity."

"I-I know, but a girl can dream, can't she? I just dream of being a pretty little housewife, taking care of the children and my handsome husband would come home from work and I'd make him his favorite meal. We would be a perfect little family." He looked at Adrian, who was smiling, and he looked away in shame. "You must think I'm crazy."

"Actually, I don't. After all, I'm different from everyone else, as you know. You and I just have dreams that the Reaper Association deems idiotic or crazy. It just makes you unique, something I do actually admire about you."

"Y-Y-Y-You admire me?!"

"Well, you are a fascinating Reaper, unlike any I have ever met. You're not afraid to be who you are, even if you do go a bit bloodthirsty. I mean, I did examine your work when you and that human paraded yourselves as Jack the Ripper. . . . Speaking of which, weren't you in my shop when the young lord asked for information?"

Grell froze a bit before saying in a very fast tone, "N-N-N-N-No. That wasn't me. You must have been seeing things. I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know what your funeral shop looks like."

Adrian chuckled before continuing, "Still, Annabeth is very important to me and I would very much appreciate it if I could at least talk to her. I would do anything."

"A-Anything?"

"Yes, anything," he said. Grell didn't say anything, but without warning, he kissed Adrian, which made him pull back immediately. "What the devil?!"

"You said 'anything', darling. Please, I haven't had a man as handsome as you tell me such sweet words. I must admit that I had a little crush on you since that cruise liner since I love a man who plays rough. I had to act hard to get, hoping to get your attention, but you pay more attention to that doll than me. I promise that I'll find a way to get you in contact with her _if_ you love me for just one night."

Adrian was shocked. "Miss Sutcliff, I'm flattered, but I can't accept your proposal. I'm afraid that I-,"

"Is it because of male physique?"

"No, far from it. I believe you are a beautiful woman, but I'm afraid I am not the man for you. I'm afraid I'm-,"

Suddenly, they heard a metal door open from down the hall followed by footsteps. Soon, they saw William hurriedly walking to them with Ronald not too far behind him. "I'm afraid we have a situation on our hands. Annabeth Phoenix has escaped."

"What?!" the two Reapers asked in shock.

"She disappeared last night, but how is that possible? She is a human," Ronald asked.

"There is no way a human could have gone far in this realm," Grell said. "We'll just hunt her down-,"

"She's not in our realm," William said, shocking everyone, even Ronald.

"That's impossible. She can't create a portal back to the human realm without the help of a Grim Reaper."

"And that is why we are having an emergency meeting about this," William said. "You, Katia, Grell, and some other Reapers in charge of her capture will be there."

"Wait, me? I'm supposed to guard this old bloke," Grell said before giving a flirtatious smile Adrian's way.

"You are one of the few capable fighters in our sect in case she is in the custody of a noxious beast or an angel."

"Y-You think that one of them could have stolen her?" Ronald asked.

"I highly doubt it, but we can't eliminate the possibility. I will join you all after I interrogate Adrian Crevan," William said as he got closer to the barred door.

"Why not let me do it? I'm sure I'll get him to say anything," Grell said flirtatiously.

"I'm afraid that will not be necessary. If you would so kindly head to the meeting, it would cause me less of a headache."

"Oh, you're just as standoffish as ever, Will~, but I guess I might as well follow your order. Toodooloo for now," he said as he blew a kiss to both of the men and walked off with Ronald.

Once they were gone, William cleared his throat as he said under his breath, "Sometimes I can't stand that nuisance."

"Well, unless you give in to her wants, she's not going to let you go."

He looked up with an arched eyebrow as he said, "Did you just- Never mind. Let's just get to the point. How did she escape?" he asked in his usual stern voice.

"How would I know? I've been here this whole time!"

"Clearly she isn't as human as you claimed that she was."

"I guarantee that she is. She is as human as any natural born human on Earth. I am just as shocked as you, if not more so, to how she could have escaped."

"Then how else could she have just vanished in thin air?"

Adrian thought about it, but he knew there would be only one person that would be willing to help her escape. Though, he hated to bring suspicion onto her. "Do you think it's possible that Lily could have helped her escape?"

"That was our first suspicion, but she was still in her recovery room and she appeared to still be too injured to even move, let alone make a portal to the human world. It takes a lot of energy to do so."

"Then unless you have another mole in your sect, than I see no other option," he said with a smile.

William glared as he said firmly, "There is no way it could have been her."

"How would you know?"

"I have been paying close attention to her as she recovers. I check on her every couple of hours while I work and check on her before I head home."

"Oh, you feel guilty now?"

William pushed up his glasses as he asked, "And what are you suggesting with that?"

" _Now_ you care about how she is recovering. True, I don't believe she would have been dead in the hands of that demon butler, but to think, you were about to leave her behind all because you have too much pride to admit it."

"Admit what?"

"Do you think a Reaper as highly praised as me, especially when I was an Active Reaper, wouldn't know about your little romance with her while you two and Miss Sutcliff were taking your final exam? Yes, your feelings for her have died down, but they haven't vanished, have they?"

His cheeks flushed slightly, something that took Adrian by surprise. However, he cleared his throat and said, "I won't deny it, but I was young then. Besides, this has nothing to do with that. She is a fellow employee and nothing else. And we have gotten off-topic."

"I can't be any clearer to you that I have no idea how she disappeared. I'm just giving you what I think happened. I actually much rather have her here than out there. At least here, I would have known if she was safe. Who knows what happened to her now," he said in a genuine frightened tone.

Will sighed, but said, "All right then. It's safe to assume you don't know. I guess our interrogation is over." He left his side, leaving Adrian to his thoughts. It was obvious that Lilliana had to help and it was clever of her to use her injuries as an excuse so there would be no suspicion on her, but he had to admit that he'd rather have Annabeth here. Yes, now she's free, but it won't take long for them to find her without him protecting her. He knew that Lilliana couldn't help them both escape, especially if Grell was the one guarding him. He just hoped that she put her somewhere safe, but knowing her, she took her to the Phantomhive manor, the first place that they'll search. He just hoped she had a plan.

* * *

Lilliana slowly woke up from her sleep and tried to stretch her limbs as much as she could without hurting herself. However, she was surprised at how well the ring was working. Her injuries didn't feel as sore as to be expected, especially since she used all her strength to make a portal back to the human realm, but she couldn't remove the bandages just yet to see how they were recovering; the nurses would put on new ones and she had to pretend for a little bit longer that her injuries were more severe than they actually were. "Lilliana, you're awake!" The voice startled her, but she was soon embraced by Katia's loving arms.

"K-K-Katia?! How long have you been here?" she asked in a raspy voice, but not nearly as raspy as last night. "A-And that hurts."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said as she stopped hugging her. "I've been here for a while, but I'm afraid I have terrible news: that doll is gone."

"Wait, what?! How?!" Thankfully, Lilliana was a convincing liar.

"W-We don't know. She even managed to leave this realm!"

"There's no way; she's a human."

"Maybe Adrian lied about that, but maybe someone stole her. There are just too many questions. William actually has set up a meeting for a small number of us to discuss the situation. He should be on his way to interrogate Adrian."

"And you know the first thing they'll think of is that I helped her, right?"

"I know, but I know you couldn't have done it. I mean, you're still pretty injured. Plus, I've been here most of the night to vouch for you."

"That's good because I know the first thing William will do is-,"

"He knows it wasn't you."

Lilliana's eyes widened. "R-Really?"

"Yeah; he let me in when his shift was over," Katia said with a smile. Lilliana was so glad that she came back as quickly as she did, especially if William came to check up on her. If he found out she was gone, who knows what punishment he would give her. Maybe even further rehabilitation. She shuddered at the thought. "Is something wrong?"

"N-Nothing's wrong," she said with a smile.

They sat there in silence, but Katia's smile faded as she looked at her bandages. "This is all my fault," she said under her breath, or so she thought.

"How could this be your fault?" Lilliana asked, making Katia blush in embarrassment.

"I-I-I-I," she stuttered, trying to find the right words to say. "If I told you something, promise me that you won't tell."

Lilliana arched an eyebrow, but said, "I promise."

"I-I knew that Undertaker was Adrian Crevan," she admitted.

Lilliana's eyes widened. "How?!"

"Grell told me. She actually has a crush on Adrian, which prevented her from telling William that she knew of his whereabouts."

"Right, I forgot he has actually been to his funeral parlor during the Jack the Ripper investigation."

"However, despite that, I never told William or anyone else about this . . . for your sake."

"For my sake?"

"Well, he is a very important person in your life. You both are Rogue Reapers and he helped you out when you went through rehabilitation. You highly respect him and I couldn't hurt you by turning him in. I knew you were hiding him and his secret because of it and despite everything, you're still loyal, even after what that _thing_ did to you."

"Katia," she said before hugging her softly. "Thank you so much."

"But he's in prison now. I didn't do a good job of protecting him-,"

"But you chose my happiness over your duties. Thank you," she said before giving her a quick kiss on the lips, making Katia blush bright red. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to rest a bit more."

"R-Right and I have a meeting to go to. Farewell for now," she said as she left her side and closed the door behind her. Lilliana smiled. She thought Katia would do anything to get Adrian behind bars, but in fact, she did the opposite. That couldn't make her any happier.

She got up from the bed and walked to a mirror to look at herself. She was surprised to see how well she looked. Despite significant blood loss and severe injuries, she looked fine. That ring that Sebastian gave her worked surprisingly well, though she did find it a bit suspicious that Lucifer would give it to him without a price. She had to admit that it wasn't like him.

"I'm glad the ring is working properly," a female voice said out of nowhere. Lilliana shrieked, straining her voice a bit by doing so. "Oh I'm sorry," she continued, but soon, Lilliana saw that an image was starting to form in her mirror. "I didn't mean to scare you," Lucille said with a smirk.

"How the hell . . . How are you doing this?! You can't appear on a mirror in the Shinigami Realm," she said angrily.

"True, I can't, but as long as a demon possession of mine is brought in this realm, my powers can work here," she said. Lilliana didn't know what she meant, but soon looked at the ring and it was glowing blue.

"You ( _censored_ ) bitch! You tricked Sebastian into giving me this ring!"

"Well, it didn't take much tricking. I just told him my father wanted me to give him the ring to heal you. He did his job as the messenger boy very well since he has such a soft spot for you."

"What the hell do you want from me that you wanted to give me this ring?"

"Oh, nothing much really. I just wanted your help into getting that soul that you fortunately let escape from this realm."

"What?! No! I won't help you!"

"Not even if I help let that Grim Reaper escape as well?"

"No! I won't accept a contract from you, especially at that price! You're insane!"

"Well, you don't need to accept it since technically, you already did by wearing the ring," she said with a grin.

Lilliana looked in confusion, but took off the ring and saw a tiny little mark of the covenant where the ring used to be. "You conniving viper," she said as she threw the ring at the mirror, but was surprised to see it not shatter the mirror, but instead transport to wherever Lucille was and she caught it no problem.

"A contract is a contract as long as you accept it from a demon. You accepted the ring from Sebastian, so you accepted the contract. I don't have to tell the other party the terms." Lilliana tried to punch the mirror, hoping to either smash the mirror or to punch Lucille from the other side of the portal, but it somehow managed to trap her hand instead. "Such a violent vixen, aren't you?" Lucille said with a laugh. "Still, I should feel ripped off since I have promised to both heal you and free your friend just so I can get that soul."

"Get me out of this ( _censored_ ) contract!"

"I'm afraid I can't, dearie, and we both know the only way to remove the contract is to either fulfill it or kill me."

"I'll happily take the latter," she said, trying to remove her hand from mirror's grip, but to no avail.

"And this is why I used the mirror method rather than approach you in person. Still, once I fulfill my end of the bargain, you will have no choice but to fulfill your end."

"Ha, good luck convincing a Reaper to make a portal for you. That's the only way you're getting here and there's no way I would help you."

"I have an idea in mind, but until that happens, get some rest. I'm sure you'll need it, dearie," she said as she allowed the mirror to release Lilliana's hand, but she noticed that her inner wrist had the mark instead of her finger. "Until then, tata for now," she said before her image disappeared.

* * *

"We're so glad you're back," Finny said as the three servants talked in the servants' quarters before they had to work. Snake would have joined them, but after what he witnessed a couple nights ago, he refused to see Annabeth.

"Yes, it was quite lonely without you, yes it was," Mey-Rin said with her cheerful smile.

"Plus, Sebastian was getting on our cases about doing our jobs properly ever since you left," Baldroy said as he lit his cigarette.

"Well, I'll only be back for a little while," Annabeth said with a smile.

"What do you mean? You're not going to work for the manor anymore?" Finny asked with a sad tone.

"Well, I might seek full-time employment with the Undertaker," she said, trying to not hint at anything.

"That creepy old man?! Why would you want to work with him?" Mey-Rin asked.

"Well, he was my first employer and I . . . I kind of felt at home there."

"Oh, well, if you do work for that guy, be sure to visit us, all right? We would terribly miss you if you left for good," Baldroy said.

"Oh, I will. Don't worry about that," she said with a smile and the servants smiled too. However, not too long after that, Sebastian walked into the room, making the servants sigh. "Fun time's over."

"Finny, I need you to prune the bushes and tend the rose garden," Sebastian said.

"Yes sir," he said as he left their side to go work outside.

"Mey-Rin, I need you to dust the rooms as well as clean all the windows."

"Y-Yes, Mr. Sebastian!"

"Bard, I need you to prepare lunch as well as check food inventory."

"Gotcha," he said with a salute.

"Annabeth, I need you to stay away from windows and do not go outside," he said as he was about to leave, but she stopped him.

"Wait, that's it? You don't need me to do anything?"

"If you wish, you can clean up wherever you see fit, but again, stay away from windows. We don't want anyone to see that you are here."

"Who will be able to see me?"

"Most likely a Grim Reaper, especially since it shouldn't take them long to realize you have escaped."

"O-Oh," she said. "I should have figured that."

"So, in order to prevent any unneeded confrontation, do as I say," he said in an unusually stern voice.

"I just hope Lilliana's all right," she said as she was about to leave the room, but she noticed that his face seemed to express worry, something she thought she would never see on a demon.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," he said in a nonchalant tone, trying to hide his true feelings.

"I'm really sorry for putting her in this situation in the first place."

"You already received her forgiveness."

"I know, but I just wanted to tell a demon that, even though I'll never get it from you, especially since I hurt the person you love-,"

"I don't love her," he said rather quickly.

"I don't know about that," she blatantly said. "You wouldn't be so worried about her if you weren't."

"Have you already forgotten who you were talking to? I'm a demon; I cannot feel such emotions as love or worry."

"You seem to believe that, but your face tells me otherwise. You saw her; she'll be all right, but the only thing I'm worried about is her getting caught."

"I'm sure she won't. She's too smart for that. Right now, the only thing I should worry about now is keeping you safe, though, not for your sake or Crevan's."

"I understand," she said and with that, she left the room. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she said under her breath, "It's because of Lilliana."


	14. His Rescue

Katia was looking at the Cinematic Record of a noblewoman who died during the childbirth of her first son. Her husband heartlessly left her in the room so he could admire his son that he clearly loved more than her. Still, there was nothing interesting to report and she collected the soul all the same. It did pain her just a tad to see a woman who loved her husband so much not get that love in return, but that's just humanity; some humans love with all their hearts and some are cruel. She knew that better than any human, even if she was a mere observer and nothing more. Though, she could see that same trait within the Grim Reapers. Some are nastier than some demons and some are kind-hearted and actually want to help humanity become better. Although she wasn't the prime example of the latter, she had to admit that she had some fascination with humanity than some Grim Reapers found strange, especially with the sticklers like William.

Watching in the distance was Lucille, who couldn't help, but smile at the innocent in her sight. Yes, she knew she was a demon huntress who has even killed a high number of powerful demons, but she was an innocent girl. Unlike her fellow Reapers, she wanted to be known as a kind-hearted girl rather than her dangerous side, a total opposite of the woman she claimed to love. Speaking of which, was it possible for a Grim Reaper to fall in love? Weren't they supposed to be unemotional beings that had no bias toward humanity? Regardless, she had an opportunity and needed to use it if she wanted to fulfill the contract.

"The next person on my list is Ms. Tina Darling," she said as she looked at her quota of souls. "Suppose to die in about an hour from a heart attack. No additional comments on her file-,"

"Katia," a voice rang out. She looked around for the source of the voice and was surprised who she saw.

"Lilliana? How the hell did you get released so fast?"

"Oh, well, I guess it's a miracle, but demon regeneration helped a lot," she said, but Katia did notice something off about her, mainly the pitch in her voice. Still, she didn't say anything.

"Well, that's good, but you should take it easy from now on. No strenuous work, you hear me? I want you to get back to your full strength as soon as possible."

"Of course, darling," she said, but it surprised Katia to the point it made her blush immensely.

"D-D-Did you call me 'darling'?"

"Well, yeah. Too much?"

"N-No, not at all. I'm just sur-," she tried to say, but was surprised by a kiss. She enjoyed it a bit before she pushed back. "Lilliana!"

"What?"

"Y-You would never do that! What if Sebastian saw you!"

"Good to note," she said under her breath, but spoke up. "I was so close to dying and I thought that I would never see you again. I know I have acted distant towards you, but that's only because if I didn't, I might be put under rehabilitation again, but honestly, Katia, I do . . . l-lo . . . l-l-lo-," she tried to say, but just couldn't say it. It was such a hard thing for a demon to say, even while acting.

"You don't need to say it! I know what you mean," she said before kissing her again and tears falling down her cheeks. "I love you too."

Lilliana sighed as she said, "I know this may be a little fast, but I was thinking that we should . . . maybe . . . take our relationship to the next level," she said surprisingly shyly, but Katia smiled.

"Well, I do have some time before I have to collect my next soul, so if you want to . . . ," she said, but Lilliana kissed her.

"I want to show you just how I much I lo-, you know, too," she said. Katia smiled as the two women walked off into the distance. "Too easy," she said under her breath.

* * *

Adrian was escorted to the rehabilitation center by William for one reason: to interrogate Lilliana. Sure, they would probably only get the answers that they were expecting, but both William and Adrian were great at finding subtle cues indicating that she was lying. After all, both of them knew she was a good liar that tested their abilities, but she could be pretty honest when needed. Adrian, of course, was handcuffed, but he was free to move around without someone dragging him by the arm. Still, Will knew to pay close attention to him since now, there was no leverage to keep him cooperative.

Soon, they entered the rehabilitation center and soon, the white room that held Lilliana, who was still wrapped in bandages. The sight saddened Adrian a bit, but he was happy to see her recovering well. Too well in fact. She was surprised to see them and quickly sat up in her bed as they entered. "Ms. Kiliamo, we need to ask you a few questions," William said.

"About what?"

"Annabeth's disappearance," Adrian said. They tried to see if she looked shock or not by the news and if she wasn't, they would assume that she would have known because she helped her escape, but they were surprised by her response.

"I know. Katia told me."

The two of them looked at her in shock, but Adrian laughed. "I guess that little girl can't keep her mouth shut around you."

"She isn't the best at hiding secrets," she said with a smile, but it soon faded. "If you're going to ask if I did it, I didn't do it. Yes, I would have helped her escape if I had the strength, but as you can see, I barely have enough to get up and walk around."

"That may be true, but we have no other leads to how she disappeared," William said.

"Will, if you don't mind, I would like to speak to Adrian in private."

"I'm afraid I can't accept that since-"

"You want the truth, correct? Well, as long as you're here, I most likely wouldn't tell the truth. I trust Adrian and there is nothing that I would hide from him."

"So you admit that you have something to hide," William accused.

"No. I told you that I have nothing to do with Annabeth's disappearance, but it's been a very long time since I had a conversation with my dear old friend. Please, William," she begged almost with puppy dog eyes.

He was reluctant, but with a sigh, he said, "Fine. I'll allow it, but only for ten minutes."

"Thank you," she said with an innocent smile before he slowly exited the room and locked the door behind him.

"You used his emotions against him. How devilish of you," he said as he sat down in a nearby chair. She smiled, but he soon asked, "Honestly, did you help her escape?"

"Of course not," she said with a wink and pointing her head toward the door. He smiled. She knew she couldn't be honest, even if they were alone, since she feared Will was listening to their conversation. Clever girl.

"Well, if you didn't do it, then how else would she escape?"

"I don't know. I'm the only person who would do such a thing or has positive emotions for you two. . . . Well, other than maybe Grell."

"Yes, I know about her little crush on me first-hand," he said, making her eyebrow arch. "That little beauty actually kissed me."

"A-Are you serious? That promiscuous bastard," she said angrily under her breath.

"Yes, but there's no need to be angry about this . . . though Annabeth could be a little jealous if she knew."

"First William, then Sebastian, then my brother, now you. Is there a man that he doesn't have a crush on?" Adrian laughed and after a while, so did she. Soon, they calmed down and she continued, "Y-You know, it's been an awfully long time since we talked like this . . . except it isn't me who's locked up."

"Yeah, that's true. Plus our conversation is a lot more pleasant than those from the past, not to mention, more civilized."

She laughed. "Yeah."

"I want to thank you, Lily."

"F-For what?" She pointed her head toward the door again, reminding him that William could be listening, but he only smiled.

"For everything you have done to protect Annabeth and me. I know it cost you a lot, including your reputation-,"

"Which will always be tarnished no matter what I do," she added, making him smile a bit more.

"Still, thank you, but before we get off-topic too much, I still need to ask you more questions. Do you have any idea where she would go to in the human world?"

"Well, knowing her, the first place she would go to is your funeral parlor. After all, it's the place she knows best."

"What about the Phantomhive manor?" She looked at him with worry as he said that and he knew that's where she took her.

"Maybe, but I doubt Sebastian would let her in after she literally took chunks out of me."

"True." He liked that she was a good liar, even when it was between the two of them. Their conversation seemed too natural for her to be lying.

Soon, William entered the room and said, "All right, time is up. Are there any more questions you would like to ask her before we leave?"

"I can't think of anymore to ask. She answered them honestly."

"All right then. Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Kiliamo. We shall be off," Will said as the two of them left her room. On their way out, he said under his breath, "I have a few words for Sutcliff."

"Oh, were you listening to our conversation?" he teasingly asked. William was about to deny, but there wasn't a point. Clever girl, Lily.

* * *

Sebastian was cleaning up the last room for the night with Annabeth. It was almost midnight and he was surprised she wanted to help out this late at night, but she did say that she couldn't sleep. She said she was too worried about Adrian to sleep, which he honestly couldn't understand. She seemed to care for him more now than she did before and he seemed to consume her thoughts now that he was in custody. Still, he could, in a way, empathize with her. Imagine that, a demon empathizing with a human, but with Lilliana gone, he knew how she was feeling. Though, she was injured and she wouldn't be released for a while-

"Sebaaaaastian," Lilliana's voice said from the entrance of the room. The two of them were stunned to see her, but while Annabeth went to hug her dear friend, Sebastian was . . . distastefully disappointed.

"Lilliana! I can't believe you've recovered so quickly!"

"Well, demon regeneration helped a lot, but I'm just happy to be back . . . especially back in my favorite demon's arms," she said before she walked to Sebastian and kissed him, but he pushed her back forcefully.

"Get your foul lips away from me," he said nastily and before she knew it, he pinned her to the wall by the throat. "I knew something smelled foul as soon as you entered."

"Sebastian, you're hurting me," she said in a scared tone.

"Sebastian! What are you doing?! Let her go," Annabeth said as she tried to free Lilliana from his grip, but he wouldn't budge.

"Stop the charades, Lucille. I know it's you," he said. Lilliana tried to play innocent for a little longer, but soon, she gave in and started to laugh.

"I figured I couldn't fool a demon like you, but it was worth a shot," she said before her hair started to turn blue and her eyes turned blood red.

"How dare you show your face here," he said, tightening the grip on her neck. However, she put her left hand close to her mouth and bit into it, drawing blood and making the mark glow on her hand.

"Help me, dearie," she seemed to say to no one, but without warning, the door opened and in came Katia with her katana at hand. She swung toward him, forcing him to move away in defense and letting go of Lucille. "Much better."

"How did you manage to get a Grim Reaper to help you?" he asked before noticing that her eyes not the usual green that he was accustomed to, but were blood-red, just like Lilliana's when her demon instincts took over.

"Well, I have a certain power that not many demons, including you, have . . . soul possession," she said with a smirk as she lifted Katia's shirt to reveal a mark on her stomach. "It's different from regular possession since I don't need to physically be in the soul that I wish to possess. All I need is my mark on their body and they are instantly under my control, like this, for example," she said before she turned toward Katia. "Make a portal to the Shinigami Realm." Without hesitation, Katia created a portal, surprising Sebastian since he knew it was beyond criminal for a Grim Reaper to bring a demon into the Shinigami Realm. "And even better, I can control any deity I want to do my bidding."

"What do you plan to do with this portal? Create chaos in their realm?"

"Oh far from it . . . sort of," she said before turning to Annabeth. "Such a pure soul. Free from any of the sins of the human world, but even more, given a new life, meaning a new taste. My dear, would you like me to free Adrian Crevan?"

"Y-You would?" Annabeth asked with both surprise and hope in her voice.

"Don't listen to her, Annabeth! She wants to make a contract with you," he said as he shielded her from Lucille.

She chuckled. "Oh Sebby, don't you trust me? I am not seeking a contract since I wouldn't want to tarnish such a unique soul. I'm doing this without a price," she said with a wink. "Now, if you don't mind," she said as she started to change her appearance, her blue hair turning white and her red eyes turning green, just like a Grim Reaper's.

"I think not," he said before throwing knives toward Lucille, but Katia blocked his attack with her katana.

"Thank you dear. You're a great pawn in my game. Now, make sure that Sebastian here doesn't prevent me from my mission and keep this portal open. Understand?"

"Yes, my lady," she said almost robotically and Lucille proceeded to enter the portal. Sebastian tried to run to her and prevent her from entering the realm, but Katia tried to slice him to pieces.

"Annabeth, run and hide. Who knows what that demon is up to," he said as he started throwing silverware at Katia, but she either dodged or blocked them.

"But she said there would be no price-,"

"Everything she does has something to do with a plan of hers, now please hide before you get hurt," he said before Katia managed to land a hit on his arm. The wound wasn't deep, but being a Death Scythe, it still hurt more than a regular sword.

"My lady's orders are absolute. Nothing will stand in her way."

* * *

Adrian was back in his cell, protected this time by Ronald. It would have been Grell again if William didn't say that Grell was getting too emotionally involved in the case and wasn't allowed to guard him. Though, Ronald wasn't any better than Grell with the complaining. "To think I could have been out with a girl by now, but nope, I'm stuck on guard duty. This sucks."

"Well, I don't mind the company," he said as he rested in his cot. The sun finally set and he was tired from everything that happened this day, or at least, one day in the Shinigami Realm; he believed two days passed in the human world. So far, they hadn't sent out their forces to search for Annabeth since they were more focused on how she got out rather than where she was hiding. Knowing Lilliana, she might have asked her demon companion to protect Annabeth or have him hide somewhere else where they wouldn't find her.

"Yeah, yeah, but I told Senior Spears that I didn't want overtime and now, I'm forced to watch you for the rest of the night."

"It's better than that stick-in-the-mud watching me," he said as he tried to doze off to sleep.

"I'd rather him watch you than me," he said as he put his head in his hands. However, salvation was near for him as he saw a beautiful woman approach them. "Oh hello beautiful," Ronald said before he quickly got up and approached the lady. "What's a girl like you doing in a dreary place like this?"

"Well, I was asked to watch the prisoner so you could take a break. My orders come from William T. Spears," she said with an innocent smile.

"Really? I don't recognize you. The name's Ronald Knox. What's yours?"

"Lucy," she said.

"Aw, such a cute name. Tell you what, how about I treat you to a drink after your shift? I'm sure you'll need it."

"Thanks, but no thanks. Work before pleasure," she said as she passed him by and sat at the chair.

"All right, if that's what you want. I got a date with the girl in administration anyway. See ya some time," he said before he ran out, rejoicing at the fact that he didn't have to deal with guard duty. She smiled before she pulled out the keys from her pocket and started to open the door to the cell.

"All right, Crevan. I'm busting you out."

Adrian pushed aside his bangs so he could see more clearly who was breaking out, but he didn't recognize who it was, or at least, didn't recognize the _Reaper_. "Oh, they've let me out already? Seems a bit early for them to do so. Besides, I'm a bit sleepy."

"We don't have a lot of time, Reaper. Now, get your ass moving," she said as she entered the cell and tried to drag him out of the cot, but to no avail.

"Ah, ah, ah. They'll find out."

"Ugh, you've left me with no choice," she said before using her blue fire whip and wrapping it around his body and pulling him toward her. However, she made it so that it wouldn't harm him as it touched him.

"You're going to regret it~," he nearly sang as he was pulled closer and closer to the door. She didn't care and kept pulling him toward her way. He didn't resist despite his protest, which made this a lot easier. Soon, he finally reached the door, but as soon as he crossed the barrier, alarms starting blaring within the building. "Told you."

"Dammit," she said as she dragged him by the arm and started running out of the building. To her surprise, he wasn't resisting much, but at the same time, he wasn't naively following her. If anything, he acted more like a hostage, indirectly helping her a bit. They exited the building with no incident, but as soon as they opened the door, they were surrounded by Grim Reapers with their Death Scythes set to kill.

"You are in violation of Reaper Law by attempting to release a criminal and you need to be subdued," William said as he pushed his glasses up. They heard engines roar, mainly from Grell's and Ronald's Death Scythes, but despite the large number of Reapers, she smiled.

"Oh really? Then let's have some fun," she said before she generated her blue flame whip and made it huge, almost to the point that she couldn't hold it. She attacked the large group and some dodged while some weren't able to in time. Grell luckily dodged and as soon as he was in the air, he revved his chainsaw and tried to strike her, but she used yet another small blue flame whip with her other hand to strike him. He learned from his last mistake and managed to dodge the attack. Ronald tried attacking her, but she used her giant whip to strike him, landing a hit and flinging him to the nearest building.

"Ronnie!" Grell yelled before he tried striking her again, but she dodged effortlessly, never letting go of her wicked grin.

"This is so much fun," she said as she used both of her whips to clear their escape. William even tried using his long distance pruner to try and strike her, but sadly, she was an expert in dodging multiple attacks all at once. The Reapers tried to retrieve Adrian, but he soon joined the fight and fought them off. He didn't exactly want to do this, but this was the only way he would see his love again. "I would love to play for as long as I could, but unfortunately, we don't have much time." However, before they were able to get close to the portal, they were surprised to see a Death Scythe heading Lucille's way and even landing a hit on her. The person wielding it was even more surprising. "You're injured and yet you're going to fight?"

"Shut up, bitch," Lilliana said furiously with her eyes red as blood. She tried to strike her again, but Lucile dodged it this time.

"I'm helping your friend escape and you're still fighting. I'm surprised you would do this."

"This isn't how I wanted-," she tried to say before Lucille's giant whip landed a hit on her and flung her to the nearest building, just like Ronald, but it alarmed William.

"Lilliana," he yelled as he ran toward her, but he was surprised to see that she got up so quickly. Even Ronald needed a minute before he continued fighting, but despite her injuries, she got up and continued fighting. This was one of the few times her demonic instincts actually helped their cause. Still, he was very worried she was exerting herself. "Stop it, Lilliana!"

"I won't stop until I see her dead," she said rather weakly, but she felt her head spin and her body slowly losing the ability to stand. Without much warning, she fainted, but luckily, William caught her before she could hit the ground.

Adrian would have tried to help her as well, but he knew Lucille wouldn't allow him to go back. It pained him greatly, but he had no choice. "You're a demon; why would you do this?" he asked as they got closer and closer to the portal.

"I have a contract to fulfill," she said in between strikes.

"A contract? Did you make a contract with-," he said in a very worried tone before he was cut off.

"No, I didn't, but your rescue is part of the contract. You would be surprised to know who my contract is with." After a while of fighting, they managed to reach the portal and they passed through without anyone chasing after them.

* * *

"Katia, snap out of it. You're a demon huntress working for a demon," Sebastian said repeatedly as he kept fighting her, but no matter what he said, she wouldn't stop fighting him. "Lilliana would not approve of what you're doing."

"My lady's orders are absolute. Nothing will stand in her way," she kept repeating. He was getting annoyed, but he knew that she was under Lucille's spell to make her act like this. If she were any other Reaper, he wouldn't hold back, but since she was close to Lilliana, he had to hold back. If Lilliana learned that he harmed Katia, he might have to fight her Death Scythe. However, as time progressed, soon, the two deities exited the portal.

"Close it now, dearie," Lucille yelled.

"Yes my lady," she said as she closed it immediately. The two deities caught their breath, but Annabeth hugged Adrian tightly.

"Adrian! I'm glad you're all right," she almost yelled and was nearly in tears.

"Yes, I'm all right, but more importantly, I'm glad you're all right," he said as he wiped the tears forming in her eyes.

"Now darling, I want you to go home and forget this whole ordeal. All right?"

"Yes, my lady," she said as she started heading out of the manor.

"So are we just going to assume that you did this free of charge? It is highly out of your character," Sebastian said, still with silverware at hand.

"I'm not doing this for my own sake. I just wanted to teach someone a little lesson," she said before she changed her appearance yet again to her normal self. "Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do," she said as she too started to head out the manor, but was stopped when she heard Adrian's voice.

"I thought I recognized the wonder that is Lucifer's only daughter. When you go back to Hell, say hello to your father for me. Haven't talked to him in ages." Lucille only scoffed as she continued heading out.


	15. Their Trip

William sat at a waiting room at the Reaper Hospital. Most of the Reapers were injured, whether slightly or severely, forcing him to postpone the search for Adrian Crevan and Annabeth Phoenix until he had a good number of them back. The fire whips caused a lot of damage, burning a good number of them, while some, like Ronald, had a close encounter with concrete walls. He knew that he would be all right, but the only person that he truly was worried for was Lilliana, who not only was still recovering from her previous injuries, but became injured yet again when she too was flung to a building. However, despite her injuries, she kept pushing herself too much and wouldn't allow herself a break until that demon was dead. He knew she was a fighter, but she had to rest. She wasn't fully recovered and won't be for a longer time than expected. If she continued to push herself to her limits, not even her demonic regeneration could save her.

"Don't worry, they'll all be fine, William darling," Grell said as he patted Will's knee. He was one of the few Reapers who didn't get injured, so he waited alongside him, much to Will's dismay. Usually, he would be overly flirtatious and always trying to get his attention, but even he was worried for a few number of Reapers, especially Ronald.

"I'm sure they will be fine, but some I worry for more than others," he said in his usual monotone.

"Ronnie will be fine and I'm sure _she_ will be too," Grell said, almost painfully toward the end.

"You can't put your petty little feud with her aside, even now?"

"As long as we are in competition for Bassy, our 'little feud' will live on," he said in his usual flamboyant anger.

"And yet, you flirt with me all the time. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you can't decide on whom you want more and don't want her to choose for you. Though, I'd rather she wouldn't get so involved with that noxious beast," he said as he pushed back his spectacles.

"Oh, don't twist my words around, Will. I will always adore you, ever since our exam." William looked away. Right, the exam. The first time they truly got to know each other and when they first met Lilliana. So many memories . . .

"Mr. Spears, Mr. Sutcliff, I'm afraid I have some troubling news," a doctor said as she approached them.

"Oh please don't tell me that someone died," Grell said in a worried tone.

"No, that's not the case, fortunately, but I'm afraid we are missing Ms. Lilliana Kiliamo."

"What?!" the two said in unison.

"When we went to check on her and change her bandages, she was gone. She must have slipped away and no one has seen her since everyone was so busy caring for the other patients."

"She doesn't know when to stop fighting, does she?" Grell said. "I bet that she is trying to hide that Adrian Crevan."

"Regardless if she is or not, we can't form a search party to find her or Crevan," Will said before pushing back his spectacles. "How long ago do you estimate she has been gone?"

"For less than an hour, or at least, that's the last time I checked on her," the doctor said before a nurse approached her and whispered something in her ear. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I have to care for more patients." Once they left their side, Will and Grell examined their situation.

"What do we do now? The longer she's out there, the craftier she'll be when hiding them," Grell said.

"I know, I know, but what choice do we have? Without a proper search team, they won't be able to track her down. It took the Head Reapers forever to find her in the past before she knew of our secrets. However, I believe you are right; she will try to hide Adrian and that monster of his, but for now, our main objective is to find her and bring her back."

"My word, you have such a soft spot for her. She breaks more rules than everyone in Dispatch combined and yet, despite you being such a stickler for rules, you don't punish her. When I break a rule, you send me to rehabilitation right away-,"

"Killing people not on the To-Die list is a serious crime-,"

"But you have told me that accepting a deal with a demon is just as awful, if not even worse than that."

"She never made a deal with that demon. She was only seduced to work with him."

"That and more," Grell said under his breath, but was hit in the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"I won't have any of that," he said before he walked off a bit and Grell followed. "Since we are short-staffed, I'm afraid we only have one choice: the two of us have to go out and find her."

"Wait, why do _we_ need to find her?!"

"All our other officers are down for the time being and we don't have enough time to wait for them. Besides, I'm sure the two of us know her well enough to know where she will go."

"But some of the officers will be ready to go tomorrow-,"

"You said it yourself: the longer we stay here, the craftier she'll be. Now, let's start searching." Grell sighed, but knew he was right. Though, he wished he bit his tongue, but at least he will get to spend some one-on-one time with this stoic Reaper.

* * *

It was very late when Annabeth and Adrian sat close together in Ciel's study. They had just proposed an offer to Ciel and Sebastian since they knew they had to leave as soon as possible before the Reapers proceeded to capture them again. Though, now that they escaped once, the Reapers would put them under stronger security and he feared they might actually torture her to figure out how she escaped in the first place and who helped her. If she accidentally let it slip that Lilliana helped her, he couldn't imagine how much trouble she would be in. "So let me get this straight ( _yawns_ ): you want me to purchase you tickets to a cruise liner from here to France, where you have ties with another Grim Reaper that can help you escape from the Reaper Association permanently?"

"That is correct, my lord," Undertaker said with his usual grin. Annabeth was glad to have the perky mortician back, but she knew she wouldn't have him back for long until they knew they wouldn't be found.

"And you expect me to do this freely? I mean, the last time you were on a luxury cruise liner, you split it in half! And let's not forget the person that you are boarding with."

"I will make sure that nothing bad will happen, especially since I have my precious doll with me."

"Still, I don't want you to be roaming free until I know for sure you'll be out of my hair. After all, I'm pretty sure the Reapers will be here any day now to question us about your whereabouts."

"I understand, but who are you going to send? Your butler?"

"I will escort you two to the port, but I will not accompany you. I'm afraid I am not familiar the Parisian landscape. Besides, a Grim Reaper being followed by a demon would be a red flag to even the Parisian Reaper Association," Sebastian explained.

"I suppose you have a point. Would any of your human servants by any chance be of any use to us?"

"I'm afraid they wouldn't know the area either," Ciel said as he sat back on his chair, twiddling his thumbs. "And Lilliana is-,"

"Familiar with Paris and the French countryside," Adrian finished. All three looked at him in confusion before he continued, "Her human self was a native to a little village outside of Paris."

"But don't Grim Reapers forget about their past human lives completely?" Sebastian asked.

"That is very true, but don't forget that she was raised by demons in the French countryside before the Reapers found her. If anything, she is more knowledgeable of the area now than she was a human. I'm sure she will make the perfect escort."

"But isn't she still recovering from . . . what I did to her?" Annabeth asked regretfully. She knew that Lilliana forgave her, but she still felt guilty for that and more.

"Oh, she's a lot better now. Demon regeneration benefited her far more than I expected," Undertaker said with glee, which made Annabeth smile, but it soon faded as he continued, "Though, after fighting with Lucille, I'm not sure she's able to move around anymore."

Sebastian's demon eyes flared at that name, but regained his composure as he said as calmly as he could, "What did that viper do to her?"

"Well, Lily attacked her first, but Lucille might have injured her more by acquainting her with a concrete wall."

"She did what?!" Sebastian practically yelled, but remembered too late to keep his composure in front of the young lord. "When I see her, I will have words for her."

"I'm sure she is recovering right now, along with a good number of Reapers thanks to Lucy's fire whips. It leaves me to wonder what that girl is planning, freeing me and all."

"Still, I'm very happy she did," Annabeth said as she hugged him tightly.

"Though, she wouldn't do it for free," a familiar voice said. They all looked and were surprised to see Lilliana leaning against the doorway, though she wasn't in the best shape. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes ripped and torn in certain areas, and her skin bruised, scraped, and burned all at once.

"Lilliana," Sebastian said as he walked toward her. "Y-You look awful."

"I'll be fine," she nearly barked back. She clearly wasn't in the mood to talk. "So she just left without saying why she freed him?"

"I'm afraid not. Have you any clue?" Sebastian asked.

"N-No, I don't, unfortunately."

"Lilliana, I'm glad that you're here," Undertaker said as he approached her as well. "I was just telling master butler and the young lord that Annabeth and I must flee the country to escape from the Reaper Association."

"And what does this have to do with me?"

"Well, our desired location is Paris, an area I believe you have some knowledge of."

"Yes, I'm quite familiar with Paris. . . . Why would you want to go there? Paris is not too far from London compared to the States or Japan."

"I have a friend that I need to meet with us before we can hide permanently. She has connections that will be very useful to us."

"So you want me to guide you through Paris until you find her?"

"Can you do that? I mean, you are pretty injured again, from the looks of it," Annabeth said as she walked toward Lilliana, sliding her arm around Adrian's. He looked slightly shocked, but he smiled.

Lilliana smiled as she looked at the couple. Annabeth was clearly in love with the man . . . but she still debated if he was in love with her. Grim Reapers can't love . . . that's what she was told ever since she became a true Grim Reaper. Though, even she had her doubts. Still, she knew he at least cared a lot for her based off how he protects her and is very loving to her. Maybe . . . just maybe . . . he might have _some_ feelings for her. She only wondered if he admitted that much to himself and especially her. "I'll be fine. I've survived far worse than this."

"Y-You keep saying that," Annabeth said with a slightly worried tone. "I can't imagine what could be worse than what has happened in the past few days."

"Trust me, you don't want to know," she said before looking at Undertaker. "Fine, I'll help you out . . . but what do I get in return?"

"Well, you get some time off of work," he said with his usual smirk.

"I don't plan on going back until this whole ordeal is settled. I'm probably going to receive punishment for my involvement anyway. What else?"

"P-Punishment?" Annabeth asked innocently.

"Nothing for you to worry about," Adrian said soothingly as he put his arm around her. "If that won't persuade you, then how about a free vacation with friends? I'm sure you miss some of the sights of home. Plus, I hear they just unveiled a new landmark. I think they're calling it the-,"

"Eiffel Tower," she interrupted before laughing a bit. Despite being away from home for about 150 years, she still liked to be updated on French news and media. "Yes, it has been a long time since I was there . . . All right, fine, you've convinced me."

"Then it is settled. You three will be on the next ship heading to France tomorrow," Ciel said as he got up his chair and started heading back to his bedroom, but said before leaving, "Sebastian, I want you purchase the tickets and ready a carriage for them in the morning. Understand?"

"Of course, my lord," he said with a bow. Ciel smirked as he left the room, feeling satisfied, soon followed by Annabeth and Lilliana, but Adrian stopped Sebastian before he could follow.

"I hate to be more of a bother, but could you do me a favor?"

* * *

"Are you sure it won't be as scary as I think?" Annabeth said as she performed her nightly routine before getting into bed. Ciel allowed them to stay in their own room for the time being since he was convinced that Undertaker would try to get them one room anyway. He would have been right. Though, Annabeth was scared of their adventure ahead of them. After all, this will be the most she will ever travel and for a terrifying reason.

"Yes, I'm sure you'll be fine. I won't let anything bad happen to you ever again." Adrian said as he slid into bed, waiting for her. "You're my precious doll, after all."

"I'm sure you'll protect me . . . even if it kills you," she said before sliding into bed with him. She faced away from him, afraid that his face will be too heartbreaking for her. However, he put his arms around her and pulled her close so they would be cuddling.

"It would take a lot to kill me, though," he said before kissing her neck, making her shudder from the touch.

"Wh-What are you doing?" she asked in a flustered voice. Her cheeks were bright red and he would have made another blushing bride comment if he saw her.

"I just want to calm you down. I know this journey will be scary for the both of us until we can escape for good, but until then, we have each other."

"And after that?"

"We will have each other _and_ can live peacefully."

"And Lilliana? Do you think she will be all right after all of this?"

He chuckled. "I'm sure she will be fine. This is a minor offense compared to those of her past."

"You two keep saying that, but it leaves me to wonder what she has done that could possibly make this seem like a minor inconvenience to her."

"I'll tell you another time, but for now, we need sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

"Y-You're right. Goodnight my love."

"Goodnight," he said as he kissed her neck again and fell asleep with her in his arms.

However, she couldn't sleep; she just laid there with her eyes wide open. She really wanted to sleep, but she was filled with too much fear and anxiety to rest. What would happen if they were caught? What if Lilliana collapsed from exhaustion because of her injuries? What if they got separated in an unfamiliar land? What if something bad happened to Adrian? So many questions rushed though her head. She tried to tell herself that everything will be all right, but still, those worries consumed her mind.

Soon, she heard a thump outside their room and quickly sat up in fright. She expected Adrian to sit up alongside her, but he must have been sound asleep. She knew he was a heavy sleeper, but he was a Grim Reaper; his senses should be heightened. In fact, she managed to quietly get out of bed and walk to the door without disturbing him. He must have been very tired if he was sleeping so soundly. She knelt in front of the door so she could look through the keyhole and relieved as she saw Lilliana and Sebastian . . . well, relieved and then slightly aroused since they were kissing, even more passionately than she ever witnessed. He had her legs wrapped around his waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Annabeth wished that Adrian would do that to her; their bodies close together as they kiss. The image in her mind was quite erotic.

However, their kiss ended abruptly as he smelled the air and had a sour expression on his face. "Is something wrong?" Lilliana asked with her eyes red with lust.

"She isn't here," he said under his breath. "Though, why is her foul scent here?"

"Who are you talking about?" Lilliana said as her eyes turned back to green. He let her go so she could stand, but soon pinned her arms above her head to the wall. "S-Sebastian?"

"Why do I smell her on you? Have you come into contact with Lucille?"

"I fought her when she freed Adrian. Y-You know that."

"No, her scent would have been gone by now. Plus, it's strong," he said before he looked at her wrist and saw a blue marking on it. "What is this?" he asked before he grabbed her wrist and pulled up her sleeve to reveal Lucille's mark of the covenant. "You made a contract with her?!" His demon eyes flared, genuinely frightening Lilliana.

"N-No, it's not like that, I swear," she said in a frightened tone. "She forced the contract on me."

"How is that possible? There needs to be consent for a contract to take place."

"Apparently, she found a loophole as long as I consent to _a_ demon, a contract can work."

"What do you . . . The ring," he said as he let her go and punched a hole into the wall.

"Sebastian, you got to be quiet. We don't want to alarm the others. After all, Undertaker and Annabeth are in that room," she said as she pointed to the door.

"How can I be quiet about this? That bitch! I fell right into her trap and now she has done this to you. When I find her, I'm going to kill her!"

"Way ahead of you," she said as she pulled down her sleeve to cover the mark. "I plan to kill her to end the contract."

"What are the terms?"

"She would both heal my injuries and free Undertaker in exchange for Annabeth's soul."

"Ah, I see. Her soul is quite unique and I must admit, it has crossed my mind to have a little taste, but because she was so heavily guarded by Undertaker, I couldn't."

"Still, I'm in debt to her, so unless I hand over her soul, I'm going to kill her to terminate the contract."

"Then we shouldn't let you go with them if you want to protect Annabeth. With that mark, she'll track you down."

"And that's what I'm hoping for. Even if I don't accompany them, she might find them anyway and I'm not sure that Undertaker can fight her off by himself, especially with Annabeth close by. . . . Though, we cannot tell them about this. I don't want to worry them."

"Do you think that's a smart move? At least tell Undertaker so he can be on alert. We don't want her to catch you three by surprise."

"I don't want to worry them, especially Annabeth. She's already worried enough about this trip and they're already on edge with the Reaper Association."

"Still, you can't kill her in your state. You're too injured to-,"

"You know that when demon instincts take over, I obtain strength that I never thought I had. I _will_ kill her."

"So you say, but you do realize that in that state, you won't be able to sense when your injuries are too severe and can push yourself to a point you can't recover from."

"That is a risk I'm willing to take," she said with determination in her eyes. He sighed, but knew there was nothing he could do to change her mind. She was a stubborn woman; a lesson he learned a long time ago. If he couldn't convince her, no one else can, not even Undertaker.

"In that case," he said before he swept her off her feet, making her shriek. "Before you three leave for your trip, I believe you and I have a lot of catching up to do."

Annabeth slowly walked away from the door, more frightened than before. A contract? Her soul? What the hell was going on?

* * *

"All aboard!" Adrian, Annabeth, Lilliana, and Sebastian finally arrived to the harbor and Annabeth was so awestruck of the giant ship before them. She admired the very blue sea and the seagulls flying over it. This was the first time she ever saw the ocean and her nerves were calming down slowly. Adrian only watched with a sweet smile as he noticed his little doll act like a child in this serene environment. "Thirty minutes until departure!"

"Can you take these to first class, room 3-B?" Lilliana asked a bellhop, who nodded and took the two pieces of luggage with him. "All right, here are your tickets. Your aliases are Alexander and Anastasia Cross, a newlywed couple who are honeymooning to Paris. I am her sister, Lily Bastida, who is acting as your guide since I am a French native," she said before speaking French to figure out the accent. It has been a couple of centuries since she last spoke the language, but was thankful she still remembered it.

"Are you sure that you will be able to handle things while you are away?" Sebastian asked as he waited for the cue to leave them and head back to the manor.

"We'll be fine, Monsieur," she said with a French accent. "Your job is to protect our young master in case any of our Reaper friends ask him any questions."

He smiled, before saying, "Indeed, mademoiselle." He grabbed her hand and kissed it before mounting the carriage, making her blush, which made the couple giggle. Lilliana gave them a glare, but returned her gaze to Sebastian as he said, "Just try to be safe. Promise me that."

She bowed before saying, "Of course, Monsieur Sebastian." With that and a smile on his face, he whipped the reins and departed from them. She smiled as she asked the couple, "Sommes-nous prêts à partir?"

"Wh-What?" Annabeth asked in utter confusion.

"I said, 'Are we ready to go?'"

"Oh, of course," Annabeth said as the three of them boarded the ship. However, before they entered the boat, Lilliana stopped Adrian as she said, "I need to remind you that this voyage shouldn't last more than several hours. The last thing I need is another repeat of what happened on the Campania."

"I won't make a mess of things. After all, the last thing I want to do is put my dear Annabeth in any harm. She's too precious to me."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Up above, there were two pairs of demon eyes staring down at the trio as they entered the ship. One of them belonged to a slender, but curvy woman with long purple hair and eyes and wore purple dress, heels, and jewelry. She leaned against the railing and smirked as she watched them board until they were out of her sight. The other was Lucille, who had to keep some distance away from the railing so they couldn't see her. "Qu'avons nous là? Ah, if it isn't our favorite Demonic Reaper along with my clientele. How interesting. Cela devrait être amusant," the purple demon said in a French accent.

"It should be _very_ interesting. After all, now I'm one step closer to finally accomplishing my goal," Lucille said, leaning against a wall, as if she was a gentleman watching his girl look at all the sights beyond the ship.

"Oh, Lucy, you shouldn't be so eager to get this soul, unless you don't want your father to know what you're doing," the other demon said as she turned around to face her.

"What are you implying?" she said with an arched eyebrow.

"Well, she is the first soul of her kind. Naturally, Lucifer would like to be the first to have a taste," she said before licking her lips and giving Lucille a wicked smile. "I'm sure you remember what happened to your brother some years ago when he managed to not only cultivate a soul with a contract, but have a pureness to it. He stole the soul and killed his son who fought back against him."

"Then he will not know about this. I've worked to ( _censored_ ) hard for this soul and I do not intend on losing it. If you tell him, I swear to-"

"I would never, mademoiselle! It would be horrible if I lost the very soul I sought for so long. Speaking of losing something, we need to discuss terms. After all, I'm not going to just fulfill my end of bringing you here without getting something in return."

"You can try all you want, but I'm not certain if you can convince Lilliana to feed you," Lucille said.

"Then I won't fulfill your side fully."

"You already brought me here, so you've fulfilled your side of the bargain."

"That may be," she said with a shrug before a group of men passed by them, whistling at the purple demon, who winked at them and bit her lip to entice them.

"You're so wanton," she said, but noticed that her right eye changed from purple to blue. "Feeding time?"

"Not now. I'd rather have a Grim Reaper feed my hunger," she said as her eye turned red. "But you have until this boat ride is over."

"And you expect to have Lilliana in that short amount of time? Aren't you going to accompany them for a while in France?"

"Yes, but I will be too busy in my deal to feed myself. So, let's see if I can entice her a bit," she said as her hair slowly changed to black. "After all, she has an interesting taste in demons."

* * *

"And this is our room," Lilliana said as they finally arrived to the room. "I honestly don't know why Sebastian had to buy first class tickets for such a short voyage," Lilliana said as they finally arrived to their stateroom.

"I'm sure our young lord might have influenced that decision," Adrian said with a chuckle. She rolled her eyes as she inserted the key in the keyhole. She opened the door and Annabeth was in awe. It was an elaborate little room, or should she say little house on the sea, that was furnished with the finest furniture. She explored a little more and found the bathroom, a powder room, and their one bedroom with their luggage, which ran a question through her head.

"Lilliana, where are you going to sleep?"

"On the couch. I'm sure it would be more comfortable for the two of you to sleep on the bed."

"A-Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable," she said sweetly, making both she and Adrian chuckled a bit.

"These are expensive couches, so they should be pretty comfortable," she said with a smile. "Besides, I'm sure you would want to be nice and snuggly with Adrian."

"Lilliana!" Annabeth's cheeks were bright red, making them laugh.

"I'll leave you two alone," Lilliana said as she left the stateroom rather suddenly.

"W-Wait," Annabeth almost yelled, but it was too late. "I-I hope I didn't do anything to make her leave."

"I'm pretty sure you didn't, love," he said as he pulled her close and gave her a quick kiss. "She might want to leave us alone so we can spend time with each other. After all, we haven't had any quiet time together for a long time."

"Y-You're probably right." Soon, they heard a loud and low bell ring and they could feel the boat move, making them lose their balance a bit, forcing Adrian to fall back onto the nearest couch, but she followed suit and landed right on top of him. Annabeth blushed bright red as she said apologetically, "I-I'm sorry! I lost control."

She tried getting back up, but he wrapped his arms around her so she wouldn't leave. He chuckled as he said, "No, it's perfectly fine." He kissed her one more time and she kept blushing, but she liked being this close to him while they kissed. "I promise you that we will be all right. As long as we meet with a good friend of mine, we will no longer have to worry about the Reaper Association."

"I really hope so."

* * *

 ** _Excuse my French if it's wrong, but this is what google translate gave me. If it is incorrect, please, I welcome the correction._**


	16. His Friend

Lilliana was sitting at the bar up on the top deck of the ship, watching all the passengers wave goodbye to England and await their destination in France. She could tell by looking at the people where their homeland was. England. France. Spain. Portugal. Japan. The States. So many people here were going to so many places, whether for business, starting a new life, or secret pleasures. Still, the bar she was sitting at, labeled _TEMPTATIONS OF THE SEA_ , was pretty empty except for a couple of customers sitting at the bar. Maybe it was because the brand names of some of the liquor were obscure and unusual. Some she recognized, but some were called Devil's Delights or Sinful Tease. Even the smell of the place was a bit . . . off. In fact, the whole ship smelled off.

"And here is a nice glass of red wine for the young lady with the otherworldly green eyes," the bartender said as he offered her a glass.

However, she looked at him confused. "I-I didn't order that."

"I know, but the nice lady down there did. Enjoy," he said as he went to please his other customers. She examined the glass, noticing something . . . unusual about it. It's the smell . . . it didn't smell of wine at all.

"Welcome to the Lucifer Cruise Liner," a strange French voice said next to her. Lilliana nearly jumped from her seat, startled by the sudden voice and was about to pull out her Death Scythe until she heard, "Oh, my apologizes, mademoiselle. I did not mean to frighten you." As Lilliana looked at the person, she was surprised by who it was, or at least, who she thought it was. She had long black hair, crimson eyes, and was actually wearing a female cut of a tuxedo. If she didn't know any better . . . she would have thought it was Sebastian, but with tits.

"What the-,"

"You are the famous Demonic Reaper, non? I have heard so much about you," the female Sebastian said as she leaned against the bar. "The only Reaper taken under the reign of notre roi, Lucifer, making you _very_ special: a Reaper with the gifts of a démon."

"How do you-"

"Mademoiselle, I should know everything about my kind, even if you're not exactly one of us," she said with a wink.

"Y-You're a demon? How subtle of you to speak like that in public."

"I'm afraid you don't know exactly where you are," she said as she pushed the glass towards her so she could have a closer look of the drink. "It's called the Reaper Healer. I think you can understand why." Lilliana took a quick sniff of the drink and her eyes instantly turned red.

"Reaper blood? But . . . ,"

"Did you not know you were on a demonic cruise liner? Only Lucifer's select few get to work this luxurious Hell above the seas," she said with a smirk and a slight bow. "Me included," she said as she winked, her left eye turning purple as she did.

* * *

Annabeth and Adrian wandered around the ship once the crowds died down and went off to explore the many things to do on the ship. She couldn't help, but admire the many different shops, selling various items, from jewelry to chocolate, and all at a good price. Too good. Adrian couldn't help, but feel a bit suspicious by the names of the shops: _Looks of Envy, Gluttonous Treats_ , and _Casino Greed_. In fact, the whole ship was odd. While the passengers were clearly human and enjoying everything to their hearts' contempt, the employees of the ship, in a way, seemed to be feeding off the energy. No matter how ridiculous the guests' demands were, they would fulfill them, no question.

However, they reached the top deck, allowing Annabeth to finally look out into the sea. Her eyes widened with delight at such a sight: the beautiful blue sea combined with a clear blue sky with birds flying all around. She even managed to see a couple of dolphins swimming alongside the ship. "Oh, Adrian! Isn't it just beautiful?"

"Yes, it is quite beautiful, but I know something even more beautiful than this."

"What could be more beautiful than this?" she asked as she looked at him with a confused expression on her face, but he got close to her, practically trapping her to the railing with his arms on either side of her.

"You are, my dear," he said as he kissed her.

Annabeth's cheeks flushed red as she pushed him away. "Adrian! Not here. Someone will definitely see us!"

He laughed a bit as he said, "And if they do? We don't need to hide ourselves, love."

"B-But-," she tried to say before he shushed her as he placed a finger on her lips.

"Have you forgotten that we are supposed to act as husband and wife? Does my dear Anastasia Cross need a reminder of our vows?" He did have a point. If they wanted to remain hidden from the Reaper Association, they had to be Alexander and Anastasia Cross, not Adrian and Annabeth Crevan . . . er, Annabeth Phoenix. The thought alone made her blush. "Is everything all right, love?"

"Y-Yes, everything's fine, but you're right. I'm sorry," she said. The thought of being married to him . . . the man she was hopelessly in love with . . . it filled her heart with absolute glee. The thought of being husband and wife and not as a persona . . . to be united as one . . . to be with the man she loved forever. She couldn't help, but desperately want that. However, with him being a Grim Reaper, she knew she couldn't have that. Hell, she barely got him to admit his love for her.

"I know this is new for you, but who knows who is on this ship. All we can do is just show our love for each other . . . kiss by kiss," he said before he kissed her again. This time, she accepted it and wrapped her arms around his neck like she saw Lilliana do last night. She felt closer to him this way. All that was missing was her legs wrapped around his waist, but she knew that was too far for even her.

"Get the hell away from me," they heard Lilliana's voice say in the distance. They broke the kiss and saw her storming off, away from a woman who eerily reminded them of Sebastian. "I don't want anything to do with you or your kind!"

"Oh, but Mon Cher, I can relieve you of your stress, if only you would let me," the woman said as she followed her. Her chest was covered in red, but it looked like it was splashed on her rather than her bleeding. However, Lilliana's red eyes proved it wasn't just a drink . . . or maybe it was because of her anger.

"I don't need a demon like you to help me," she practically yelled for everyone to hear. "Va te faire enculer!"

"Oh my, such a vulgar thing to say from a lady," the woman said as she placed a hand on her chest. "All I did was offer you some loving-,"

"( _Censored_ ) off, putain!"

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" she said with a chuckle. However, as the two finally reached the couple, Lilliana immediately ran to them, the other woman not too far behind.

"Undertaker, we need to get off this ship. I don't know how, but we have to," she said to him, almost unaware of how it would affect Annabeth.

"Wh-Why is that?" Annabeth said as she leaned closer to Adrian, who now had his arm around her waist.

"This ship is teeming with demons. In fact, entire ship is their domain. If we want her to be safe, we have to-," she said slightly panicky, but was taken aback when she heard him say:

"I know."

". . . . What?!"

"Lily, did you honestly think this friend of mine was a Grim Reaper despite everything we've gone through?"

"You're telling me that this friend of yours-,"

"Is a demon," the stranger said as she walked up to the trio. "A succubus to be more precise."

"Everyone, meet Eris Melania, a dear friend of mine when I was still an active member of the Reaper Association. I asked Sebastian to purchase tickets for this specific cruise liner since I knew she would be here," he said with a smile. Eris looked around before she changed her hair to purple, her skin darkening in complexion, her left eye changing to an amethyst color, and finally, her bust nearly popping the buttons on the tuxedo. The three had to pretend that they didn't notice.

"I thought I might as well be my real self in front of my dear friend and his lady friends," she said with a little wink.

"Not you again," Lilliana said as her eyes flared red.

"You two know each other?" Adrian asked, not too surprised.

"Yep. I had an interesting little _chat_ with her Grim Reaper friend at some circus," she said as her right eye turned green. "Oh, just thinking about him reminds me of who he lusts after."

"Grim Reapers can't feel lust, _especially_ _him_!" she said in utter anger.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that. After all, Ms. Sutcliff seems to prove otherwise," Adrian said.

"He's . . . different," Lilliana said, realizing what she said was a bit hypocritical.

"Plus, I can find the deepest desires in someone's soul, those desires even the person might not even realize they have until acted on," Eris said as she looked at Lilliana and her right eye turned red. "I wonder if you have accepted your lust."

"Can we move on from this topic?!" Lilliana yelled, trying to hide her blushing cheeks.

Eris chuckled as she looked at the couple, who she was surprised by. When she looked at Adrian, her eye turned to a mix of blue and green; Annabeth, otherworldly green. "Oh, would you look at that! You two desire each other. That is quite a rarity in my experience."

"How do you know-," Annabeth tried to say, but was interrupted.

"As a succubus, she can look into your desires through your eyes. The color of her right eye shows the eye color of the person they desire. With that in mind, she can transform herself into the _female_ version of their lust, hoping she can feed off of their sexual energy," Lilliana explained in an annoyed tone. "So the fact that you two desire each other means she can't seduce either of you . . . or at least, not easily."

"But I'm not here to feed," Eris said before looking at Lilliana. "Well, at least, not from _them_."

"Pas intéressé!"

"Aww, not even just a little?"

"Non! Enule!"

"Ladies, ladies, please. There is no need to fight here," Adrian said as he tried to calm down the situation. The last thing he would want was to make a scene for the Reaper Association to investigate. "Besides, she and I have some catching up to do. You two stay here while she and I discuss matters." The two deities left their side, sitting at the same bar that Lilliana was just at.

"I hope Undertaker knows what's he's doing associating himself with a demon," Lilliana said under her breath, but not quiet enough.

"But she's a dear friend of his. I mean, I don't know how they met in the first place, but I feel like she wouldn't betray us and report us to the Reaper Association."

"You can never be too sure with demons," she said as she crossed her arms and leaned against a wall. "Plus, Reapers aren't the only people after you two."

"Wait, who else could be trying to come after us?" Annabeth asked in a scared tone.

"If we're unlucky, Eris might do something." She knew she couldn't say the full truth or else she would worry both her and Adrian.

"Like what?"

"Well, she is a succubus after all," she said, but was interrupted as a rowdy group of noblewomen started walking their way, the drunkest being the one who appeared to be the bride since she was wearing a slim white dress.

"So, you have to tell us everything! How was he in bed?" one of them asked as they all leaned against the wall next to the duo.

"Oh, he was amazing! I can't believe he was hiding all of that in his trousers," the bride said before the rest of the girls laughed and squealed at what she said. "He made it so pleasurable that I couldn't help myself, but beg for more and more."

"But did it hurt at first? I mean, my first time hurt a little bit and I bled."

"No, it didn't hurt since, and let's keep this between us, he wasn't my first."

"Ooo, who's the lucky bastard that already claimed your body?"

"His brother, a couple of nights ago," she admitted shamelessly.

"Oh really? How was he? I heard he's got a mighty spear underneath all those fancy clothes."

"Honestly, I married the wrong brother," the bride said before she and all her friends started to laugh hysterically and sipped their drinks.

However, as they noticed Annabeth and Lilliana, one of the bridesmaids nearly spilled her drink as she said, "Girls, girls! It's her! It's the girl I was talking about earlier."

"The one who was with that old guy?" another asked, oblivious that they were listening.

"Yeah, her." She turned to Annabeth and said, "How does a guy like that get a girl as pretty as you?"

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked innocently.

"Well, look at him," she said as she pointed to him at the bar, still talking with Eris. "He's not really the young hunk every girl wants. And is it just me, or does the way he dress remind me of a . . . mortician?"

"Well that's because he is one."

The whole group shuddered in disgust. "Ew, morticians are just so creepy. They're so obsessed with death that it's just unhealthy. I mean, look at his sickening grin. I could have mistaken him for a serial killer."

"No, Ad-my husband isn't like that. He is quite the opposite. He celebrates life in all of its forms."

"Your husband? Oh, ain't he the lucky bastard. There must have been a reason that you married him. Money?"

"A mortician doesn't make that much money," the bride said. "I would know. My poor friend's brother is one."

"Well, if it ain't money . . . then it must be the way he makes love."

"Make love?" Annabeth asked curiously.

"I think we should go, dear sister," Lilliana said as she tried to pull her away from the conversation, but she wouldn't budge. If they stayed, she knew where this conversation would be going.

"You know, sex," another bridesmaid explained, but Annabeth only titled her head in confusion.

* * *

"It has been far too long since we last saw each other, Monsieur Crevan," Eris said with a smirk before ordering a drink. "Would you like something to drink? Maybe some Succulent Taste or Reaper Healer?"

He chuckled before saying, "Are you trying to seduce me with your love elixirs? You know I can't feed you anymore."

"I know, now that you got that jolie petite fille with you," she said with a giggle. Soon, the bartender brought her a small glass of a green liquid. "I'll admit, I'm not as hungry thanks to this cruise liner, but the flavor around here has become . . . bland. I mean, I'm consuming the same type of energy over and over again; no pure souls in sight. It's always the adulterers and licentious men. Once in a while, I would seduce a woman, but their just as promiscuous as the men. I am in _dire_ need of a new flavor."

"And is that why you were willing to help us? If that is the case, I'm afraid that I must-"

"I'm not after you. I know very well you wouldn't be willing to give me the flavor I have been craving. However~," she said as she looked at Lilliana, who was still chatting with Annabeth. "There may be another."

"You honestly think you can handle her?" Adrian said with a chuckle.

"Of course. I've had many rough lovers in the past, but I haven't had the chance to taste a Demonic Reaper. In fact, she never slept with any demon, even when she was one of us. After all, she had a very protective brother who wouldn't sleep with anyone, demon or human."

"Well, times have changed," he said with a chuckle, knowing that wasn't true anymore.

"I know, and that's why I took her lover's image when I tried to seduce her. I'm surprised a demon of his standing could handle an unstable Reaper. However, she saw passed my ruse quicker than expected and is now on the defense. Maybe I should have tried the other one," she said before taking a sip.

"Are you suggesting that in order for our contract to be in effect, you would have to sleep with Lilliana?"

"Oh, non, that's not at all what I meant. You are a great friend, Adrian, and I want to help you, free of charge. After all, I feel like I owe you for all you have done for me."

"How humble of you," he said with a teasing smirk, making her giggle. "But, now back to business. You said you have found a way for us to hide from the London Reaper Association?"

"Ah, oui, I have been able to make quite a few connections, even with the Parisian Reaper Association. It's quite fascinating to see that they are just as promiscuous as humans."

"You realize that we are trying to keep in as little contact with any Reapers as much as we can."

"I know, but they are willing to help . . . as long as I am involved. After all, I fulfill their desires, so they are willing do whatever I want if they want to keep me, meaning breaking their own laws."

"And how do you know for sure that they are willing to go so far as to hide a fugitive?"

She giggled sinisterly as she said, "I convinced many of them to take me to the Shinigami Realm multiple times and even convinced a few to kill off those brethren."

Adrian gulped in slight fear as he said, "M-My my, you have quite the talent. It's clear you have complete control over them, which is great for Annabeth and me."

"I'm so pleased you think so," she said before finishing her drink, her right eye turning to the familiar blue-green he was used to. "Speaking of which . . . that girl . . . is she the reason why you must hide away? She isn't like any other human I met."

"She is part of it, but not fully."

"Oh really? Oh, do tell Mon Amie."

"Well, you remember the last conversation we had before I retired from the Reaper Association, correct?"

"You said that you were getting bored of your mundane Reaper life and wanted to add a little spark back to such a prolonged existence. I don't remember much after that. It was quite a long time ago."

"Right and I mentioned that humans have no idea how little value their souls have since we collect them so easily and without any thought. So I figured the only way to put more value in a soul is-,"

"Monsieur, are you telling me she . . . ," she said in disbelief as she looked at Annabeth, who was now conversing with the group of noblewomen.

"She is indeed, what I like to call, a living doll."

"H-How did you manage to do it? . . . And do it so perfectly?" she asked as if he was a scientist that discovered something groundbreaking . . . though, he was, in a way.

"Well, she isn't quite perfect as I hoped . . . she needs to consume Reaper blood in order to stay in a healthy state. If she doesn't, then she regenerates into a feral creature seeking life through human souls."

"But still, look at her! Other than the scars on her neck, you could say she was a normal human being. How is that possible?"

He was surprised she knew about the scars, especially since Annabeth wore her scarf to hide them, but remembered that she can find out anything by looking in people's eyes."If I told you, I'm afraid your own kind would try to make more of her."

Eris blinked before she chuckled. "You do have a point. If we could make artificial souls, we would have no need for consuming human ones."

"But she does have her soul still," he said, peaking her interest. "The first set of dolls I made, they lacked a perfect soul and although they were brought back to life because of corrupted Cinematic Records, they were feral creatures. However, I was fortunate that she had her soul since intact, even after death."

She gave him a worried look as she said, "Well, that may not be helpful for me, but I'm sure if Lucifer got hold of this revolutionary doll, he would try to find a way to make a set of dolls so that the Reaper Association won't be able to track them."

"I'm sure I will be fine. He and I have no ill feelings for each other, even after my retirement."

"It's not him I'm worried about," she said, but before Adrian could ask what she meant, the rowdy noblewoman started laughing obnoxiously. "Hmm, what could have them laughing so loudly?"

"I don't know, but I think we should find out," he said as he exited the bar and started walking toward them. Lilliana's facial expression is what worried him. Eris followed him after leaving a tip for the bartender.

"You're telling me that you're married to him, but haven't had your wedding night?" the bride asked. "How long have you two been married?"

"Their ceremony was last night," Lilliana said, still trying to pull Annabeth away from the group, but she wouldn't budge. She was curious and too confused to leave this conversation. She had to know why they were laughing.

"So, if he was a proper gentleman, he would have slept with her."

"But he did sleep with me last night," Annabeth said to Lilliana.

"That's not what they meant, sister."

"Though, I wouldn't exactly blame him for not taking you. I mean, just look at him. I doubt everything is working down there," a bridesmaid said before the whole group laughed, but were soon silenced when Adrian walked up to them.

"Afternoon, ladies. I see you all get acquainted with each other, but I'm afraid I must excuse us. Anastasia, Lily, would you mind following me?"

"Of course, husband," Annabeth said as he guided her away from the group. Lilliana soon followed behind them and watched Eris, now in a different form and with green drinks in her hand, start flirting with the girls and taking them somewhere private. She sighed in annoyance as she continued to follow them.

"I see you made some new friends, my dear," he said, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her close.

"I-I wouldn't really call them friends," she said shyly. "They kept making fun of you and were wondering why a man like you would marry a girl like me. I just wanted to slap them for saying such cruel things to you."

He laughed. "Quite the feisty girl you've become, but you're _my_ feisty girl." She blushed at the comment, making him laugh even more. "However, we must get ready to disembark. I can already see some land ahead." She looked out and saw that he was right: seagulls were surrounding them as they spotted the littlest sign of land.

"Oh, you're right! We made it to France!"

"And soon, you and I will be safe," Adrian said as he gave her a reassuring kiss. "I promise you that." Annabeth smiled, but once he looked away, her smile faded, not because she doubted his words, but she had many questions to ask him. How did he meet a woman as attractive as Eris? What was their history? Were they a couple in the past? How can she help them? Why has Lilliana been so defensive lately? Why were the women laughing when she said she didn't know what sex was? What is that? So many questions, but she decided to wait until they were in Paris to ask them, when she knew they wouldn't have to run anymore.

* * *

"I always hated visiting the brat's house," Grell said as he and William finally made it to the Phantomhive manor. After checking the empty funeral parlor, they figured that they should check in with the only person close to both Undertaker and Lilliana. They must have seen them. "Though, it's missing a lot of color ever since his aunt died."

"You mean after you _killed_ her," William corrected, stalling a bit. If it was just Ciel Phantomhive, he would have knocked on the door by now, but he knew the foul stench of a demon lingered in the air. Oh how he hated demons.

"Eh, either way, things are different now she's gone. That boy just has a knack for sucking the color out of everything. Still, the only thing that makes the trip enjoyable is his butler~"

Suddenly, they heard the door open and soon the head of that demon butler that they either loved or despised popped out. "I thought I smelled something foul in the air," Sebastian said, holding a candelabrum in his hand.

"Baaaaassy~!" Grell yelled as he ran to him and tried to steal a kiss from him, but Sebastian moved out of the way in time so that Grell would kiss the floor instead.

"Oh dear, I just cleaned that, but now it's got your filth all over it," Sebastian said in his usual monotone voice.

"Like you are any different, Michaelis," William said as he entered the manor. "I'm assuming you know why we are here?"

"I'm assuming it is about your prisoner, Undertaker, and his doll."

"Correct. However, they have escaped thanks to a demon. Now, I doubt you would want to free them or try to protect them, but it does concern us that Ms. Kiliamo is missing as well."

Sebastian looked at him with a surprise look on his face, but soon chuckled. "It seems you can never keep your coworkers in check, now can you?"

"Shut it," William said, out of character, but took a deep breath to compose himself. "We came to ask if you have seen them. They must have dropped by to say where they were going."

"Well-," Sebastian tried to say, but he seemed to be interrupted by nothing. However, it was something important that he could not disobey. "I'm sorry, but my young master has asked me to make him some tea. If you want to continue this interrogation, we must speak in his study."

William sighed before saying, "As long as we get our answers."

"All right, follow me," Sebastian said as he guided William into the manor, walking past the still fallen Grell, who William had to pick up. He led them to the study, surprising the young lord, who was just finished with paperwork.

"What is the meaning of this, Sebastian?" Ciel asked angrily, both genuine and fake at the same time.

"My lord, these Reapers have questions to ask of us concerning the Undertaker and Lilliana," he explained as he let the two men in the study.

"They haven't visited the mansion since you took them in your custody, now send them out!" He was still weary of Grim Reapers, especially Grell, for obvious reasons.

"How rude of you!" Grell said in elevated anger. "If your handsome butler wasn't here, I would have slashed you into a million of pieces for acting so cruelly to a lady."

"That's enough, Sutcliff," William said with a raised voice. He managed to quiet Grell, but not enough for him to drop the attitude. He cleared his throat before continuing, "So Ms. Kiliamo hasn't dropped by either?"

"Are you telling me that you couldn't even keep a severely injured Grim Reaper in your watch? ( _Chuckled_ ) You Grim Reapers are terrible at managing your colleagues."

"Why you little-," Grell said as he tried to rev up his chainsaw for an attack, but William hit him on the head to stop him.

"One more and I will have to demote you further," William said, now managing to control him better.

"If I wasn't so desperately in love with you, I would have hit you back," Grell sad under his breath, but still loud enough that it made Ciel and Sebastian shudder in disgust.

"Aww, how adorable," a feminine voice said from within the room. They all turned their heads toward the voice only to find a familiar face. She looked exactly like Lilliana, but something was off, mainly her voice. "A lover's quarrel, the most passionate of all fights. Ah, how I dreamed to be part of one, but being a demon, I can't."

"Lilliana?" William asked, his tone giving away that he would have been happy to see her and relieved that she was all right, but judging by Sebastian's death glare, he knew it wasn't her.

She giggled before saying, "It's nice to see you again, William darling~," she said before winking and revealing her purple left eye. His eyes widened in shock and his cheeks reddened slightly. "If I realized you would be here, I wouldn't have blown my cover so quickly."

"William _darling_?! You met this woman?" Grell asked with jealousy in his voice.

"Unfortunately," he said, trying to remain calm around the woman who pretended to be Lilliana at Noah's Ark Circus and . . . managed to seduce him for a little while before he was caught by the actual Lilliana. He did not want to relive that embarrassment again.

She laughed before saying, "However, I'm not here to seduce some potential meals. I know where Lilliana and the two others are at." She sat on Ciel's desk, making him uncomfortable. "I wanted to send Sebastian Michaelis a message in the form I thought he would like best, but it actually makes it more convenient that I ran into some Grim Reapers."

"What do you want?" Sebastian asked in an angry tone. He was glad it wasn't Lucille again, but he still didn't trust a demon taking his lover's image. Come to think of it, this has been happening a lot lately.

"Oh, where are my manners? Je m'appelle Eris Melania et je suis un succubus parisien. I have come into contact with him, but I am willing to help you capture him free of charge." Sebastian's eyes widened from hearing the name. No wonder she knew William; she was acted as the fortune teller from the circus they investigated some time ago. Throughout their stay, she took Lilliana's form for a reason he still didn't understand, but judging by the fact that Eris and Will know each other, he had a suspicion; one that he hoped wasn't true.

"Why should we trust a filthy demon like you?" Grell said, keeping his chainsaw ready in case he needed to cut a slut.

She sighed before saying, "There really isn't a reason to trust me, but I have been wrongfully jibbed from my recent contract with a colleague and I want to make her life harder by making her fight for her prize."

"Her? Who do you mean _her_?" William asked, but Sebastian soon answered.

"That damn bitch!" he said as he slammed his fist against a wall, making a small crater. "I'll kill her, I swear!" However, once he realized what he had done, he regained his composure and said, "I-I'm sorry, my young lord. I will fix it at once."

"Ooo, I love watching him angry like that," Grell said as he shivered.

"My my, mademoiselle, you have quite the lust," Eris said as she looked at Grell and her right eye turned red, but the other was still green. "Multiple men . . . maybe all at once?"

"I don't want to hear this," Ciel yelled. Eris looked at him and her right eye remained red while the left turned back to purple, making her chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing, my young lord," she said, trying to mimic Sebastian's voice to the best of her abilities, making Ciel flustered. However, as she looked at William and then Sebastian, her eye changed back to green, making her giggle. "Interesting~"

"You better not be eyeing my men, demon," Grell said with jealousy clearly on his face.

"Oh I'm not, Mon Cher. I'm eyeing their desires, which is the same as mine, but I can't have, unfortunately."

"I'm assuming you haven't fed then?" Sebastian asked, hiding the fact he was jealous of what she implied, but the knives weren't planned to strike her.

"Oh I have. Being on Lucifer's Cruise Liner has its perks, but not the ones I crave. However, she's too strong willed to fall into temptation," she said with a sad smile.

"So they are on their way to Paris," Sebastian said, pretending that he didn't know that in the first place.

"Exactly. They said they would try to hide there before fleeing to Japan, but I don't know the details beyond that," she lied.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ciel said as he walked away from his desk. "If you want to capture Undertaker and Annabeth, this is your only lead. Sebastian and I will accompany you, only to retrieve our maid. She has been away from work for far too long due to this fiasco. Once this is over, they can be out of our hair forever."

"Shall I pack your things, my lord?"

"Indeed, Sebastian. We leave for the first boat to France."

"Well, unfortunately, I have to get back to them before they realize I'm gone. Au revoir," she said as she left the room with a smirk.

Outside in the hallway, she made a portal back to the cruise liner, which was now minutes away from disembarking. She couldn't let Adrian know what she was planning; he wouldn't approve of it for obvious reasons. However, if she wanted to protect her dear friend, she knew that being under Reaper custody would be the only way he could keep his doll truly safe. She knew he wanted to spend their lives free from worry of being captured, but they fail to see the true threat to their safety wasn't the Reapers, but the demon that was following Lilliana's mark on her wrist. When she threw the drink in her face, she saw it and knew that they were making a big risk letting her tag along. Maybe they didn't know? Maybe this was a way to attract her to a trap? Who knows, but she hoped that she would be able to protect her friend and his precious doll.


	17. Her Rose Water

"Bienvenue à Paris," Eris said as their carriage finally made it to the City of Lovers. After a short boat ride, but a long carriage ride, they finally made it to the next stop in their escape. Luckily, Annabeth slept through most of the carriage ride, giving Eris and Adrian more time to chat while Lilliana looked out the window, trying to avoid her as much as she could in such a small space. She was expecting to fight off Eris' advances until the job was done. She fed off of sexual energy from whoever she slept with and the taste of a Demonic Reaper is a luxury no demon has ever had . . . except one.

They explained to her the reason why they needed Eris, but Lilliana still had her suspicions since any interactions with demons could be very harmful to their escape. Without warning, she could lead them right to Lucille, but she didn't have to as long as Lilliana had the mark on her wrist. Luckily, she was able to hide it with her sleeves, but she was worried that Undertaker's keen eyes could see it . . . How could he see without spectacles anyway? All Grim Reapers are born with terrible vision, yet he doesn't need them. He even told her that even when he wore spectacles, he replaced the lens with pieces of glass so that his vision wouldn't be hindered too much. Even the smallest prescription could affect his accuracy. Lilliana could see perfectly fine as well thanks to a certain demonic bitch giving her perfect vision, but the purpose of her spectacles was to _hinder_ her eyesight so she wouldn't be triggered by blood so easily. Whenever she didn't have to perform her Reaper duties, she took her red spectacles off so she could see clearly and, especially now, she couldn't afford to have bad vision. Any instance, Lucille will show up, excepting her "payment" and she had to fight her off. Although she was still recovering, she still wanted to be the one to kill Lucille. After many centuries of scamming and devious plots, she had this coming.

Soon, they arrived to a certain bar and inn and Adrian woke Annabeth up to tell her they arrived. He wished he didn't have to wake her adorable sleeping face, but she had to get up if they wanted to eat. Eris opened the carriage door and let them out one by one before paying the driver. Soon, the driver whipped his reins and drove off to where ever he needed to go next. Eris clapped her hands as she said, "Now that's done, how about we get something to eat and drink? I'm not sure if you would like to stay the night here or keep moving, but I think we should be satiated before we make a decision."

"It's already late, so maybe we should stay here for the night," Adrian said as he held his sleepy Annabeth close to him.

"Well you're in luck then. This inn has the softest beds in all of Paris and the food here is exquisite," Eris said with an innocent smile. Lilliana gave her a glare as the four of them entered the inn. It wasn't that busy, but it was only early evening, so not many people were seeking shelter yet. Since Annabeth was hungry, they decided to eat at the bar before they checked into their rooms for the night. Although Reapers could go for days without eating, they decided to eat as well. As for Eris, well, she wanted to be fed a different way. Plus, she was busy making sure her clients were taken care of that she didn't bother to find food for herself.

"Ooo, chocolate cake! That sounds delicious," Annabeth said as she looked at the small menu. The cafe was closed, so they were limited in their eating options and she always had a sweet tooth.

"But for a meal? We haven't eaten since we were on the ship, after all," Adrian said before he noticed Eris making something at the bar. He couldn't see the ingredients she was using to make the drinks, but he wouldn't know what elixirs they would make even if he did. The only person who would be an expert on the subject was Lilliana, who made sure to keep a close eye on her.

"Please Adrian! I'll let you share some with me," she begged with a pouty face.

He chuckled as he said, "How can I say no to a face as cute as yours?" She blushed as he said that, but Eris returned with three black glasses on a tray.

"I hope you three don't mind, but I made you some Parisian Rose Water. According to humans, it is suppose to be very refreshing and delicious," she said as she tried to serve it to them, but Lilliana wouldn't have any of it.

"You are expecting us to believe that this is just a simple drink? This has to be a demonic elixir."

"All right, Expert des élixirs démoniaques, tell me what elixir can be made with rose water?"

"Well, roses can have healing qualities or be used in love potions," Lilliana said, trying to find the villainy behind her kind gesture. There was always a catch to these things.

"But why would I dilute its power by mixing it in something as pure as water? Roses themselves have powers, but rose water doesn't. If anything, the most effect I have seen with rose water is to satiate a human's thirst," Eris explained. Lilliana stood there in silence. She knew she was right, but couldn't quite let her suspicions go. "You three . . . Well, Adrian and Annabeth, at least, are my friends. Why would I want to hurt them in any way?"

"It's all right, Lilliana," Adrian said. "I trust that she wouldn't poison us. What would she gain in doing so to an old friend?"

"A lot if she had a reward."

"Look, Lilliana, I get you don't trust me I understand. Demons are known for their tricks and selfishness, but I think you have forgotten what demons are supposed to do. We are supposed to help humanity by giving them their heart's desire, whether or not they are forbidden by humanity or deities. Despite what most people think, not every demon is out there to harm humans, no matter how unique their souls are," Eris said as she looked at Annabeth. "So, as a succubus who isn't being fed while on this job, would you kindly accept the rose water I made especially for you three?"

Lilliana sighed before she said, "Fine." Soon, with a collective clink of glasses, they drank it all.

"Mm, it _is_ refreshing. Delicious too," Annabeth said before she yawned.

"Tired already?" Adrian asked.

"A bit. I bet you want us to get up bright and early for our next stop."

"Not necessarily. All I need to do is make a little meeting with the Reapers I marked and explain to them what's going on. No specific location needed," Eris said with a smile.

"Really?" Annabeth asked and Eris nodded.

"But I wouldn't mind waking early to enjoy the sights. I'm sure Lilliana wouldn't mind either," Adrian said as he looked at her with a smile.

"Depends how early. It's rare I actually get any sleep. Working two jobs hasn't been the most generous when it comes to sleep," Lilliana said.

"Not too early, I assure you," he said. He looked at Annabeth, who was fighting sleep and chuckled. "I guess it's about time we checked into our rooms, don't you think?"

"I believe so," Lilliana said as they got up from the table and walked out the bar.

"You three go on ahead. I'm quite hungry and if Lilliana isn't going to feed me, I'll have to find food somewhere else," Eris said with a wink, making Lilliana's eyes roll.

"That's fine, but we would like a tour in the morning, so don't stay up too late," Adrian said with a playful tone, making her giggle.

"Don't worry. Demons don't need sleep like humans and Reapers. We're nocturnal creatures," she said before she left their side.

"Je déteste cette salope," Lilliana said under her breath before she went up to the front desk to check in to their rooms. He wasn't fluent in French, but he had some idea of what she said and laughed a bit. He was surprised how much she hated this particular demon. With Lucy, he understood, but with Eris, not so much. Lilliana wasn't the type of person to hate demons, especially since she was practically raised by them and her brother is one. He figured that they had met before, but whatever happened then must have pissed her off.

"Adrian?" Annabeth cooed in a sleepy voice.

He shook his head back to reality as he said, "Yes my love?"

"When we get to our room, can I ask you some questions?"

"About what?"

"I-I'd rather not say right here," she said with a bit of blush on her face, making him raise his eyebrow.

"All right, I got the keys for our rooms," Lilliana said as she returned to the couple and handed one key to Adrian. "Luckily, I was able to get the room next door, so if anything happens, you can come to me."

"I hope you're not planning on fighting. You're still recovering from your last fight," Undertaker said with worry.

"Still, I won't let anything bad happen to you two. I vow it," she said as she pulled out her Death Scythe.

Undertaker laughed before saying, "All right then, but I don't know if you'll be able to hurt your fellow Reapers."

"Who knows," she said with a smirk. "Well, I guess it's time for us to go to sleep. Goodnight, Undertaker." Without a reply back, she started heading to her room, pulling down her sleeve to hide the mark. She may be hurt, but she vowed to kill Lucille, even if it cost her own life.

* * *

Adrian and Annabeth arrived to their room not too long after Lilliana arrived in hers and the first thing she did was lay in bed, almost drifting off to sleep before he asked, "What was it you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh, right," she said as she sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes a bit. He would have let her fall asleep without asking him, but he was concerned that her questions might be related to their escape or any fears lingering in her mind. "What happens during a wedding night?"

"E-Excuse me?" he asked in surprise. He was not expecting a question like that.

"Well, on the ship, those women I was talking to were talking about their wedding night and said it was embarrassing that I didn't 'make love' on ours. What does that mean? They said it was very pleasurable, but it hurt at first. One even said she bled. Is it some sort of ritual or something?"

He was surprised she was asking this question. She is a woman of a certain age who would know what sex was, even more so since she was married before. Grant it, she has no memory past life, but he thought that she would know what sex was. Then again, when he looked through her Cinematic Record, he saw that the bastard, Kelvin Montague, never touched her. Just the thought of him doing so made his blood boil. Maybe her parents never taught her the very intimate moment because they just wanted to marry her off as quickly as possible and avoid her desiring it with other men. It wouldn't be shocking to him. "Well, 'making love' is something that humans do to show their love for each other, especially after such a formal event such as matrimony. At such a moment, they are finally one with one another."

"So it's a human ritual?"

"Well, not quite. It's . . . a . . . ," he said before whispering in her ear, but once he finished, her face grew hot and red in embarrassment.

"Adrian!"

"You're the one who asked, dearie," he said with a nervous chuckle. "It is supposed to be between married couples, but nowadays, anyone can have sex without consequences or commitments. That's how Eris feeds, after all."

"S-So when Eris says you fed her, you . . . ," she said with slight jealousy in her voice.

"Oh gods, no. Although she has tried to seduce me in the past, I fed her by introducing her to potential feasts in exchange for favors."

"Is that why she wants Lilliana so badly?"

"I guess. Each human and deity has their own flavor to a succubus, but Lilliana is a flavor that is very rare than any succubus would want to taste, but she knows I never promised to feed her; this favor was out of the kindness of her heart . . . or at least, where her heart should be."

"So right now, when she said she had to feed . . . ," she said hesitantly, but Adrian nodded, answering her unspoken question. "Oh my."

"But like I said, it was once a symbol of love between two humans in matrimony, but, just like a kiss, it has lost its meaning over the centuries." He knew he was lying: sex wasn't always about love when humanity was starting. It still isn't, but he didn't want her to question it further.

Annabeth grew quiet for a bit, unsure of what to say next. At least she got her question answered, but she was more curious about what sex was. After a while, she said, "We should get married . . . for real, not just as a disguise."

Adrian chuckled as he said, "We don't need to, my dear. I mean, I'm not human and you are a rarity in the human species." He saw the disappointed look in Annabeth's face and out of guilt, he said, "But I suppose if you really wanted to, we could get married. I'm sure it wouldn't be sacrilegious for a Reaper to marry a human."

"Oh Adrian," she said as she kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He embraced her by wrapping his arms around her and kissed her for a while before pulling back. "And once we get married, we can have our wedding night."

He arched his eyebrows as he heard her say that. "You really are curious about sex, aren't you?"

"Well, I only learned about it now, so of course I would be. Can't we just have sex now?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "My dear, you don't know what you're asking for."

"But I do. I want to be one with you, Adrian, and show you how much I love you. Please."

He sighed before saying, "All right, but remember, you asked for this," he said before kissing her again, but more passionately than before. He embraced her tighter than earlier and gently pushed her onto her back on the bed. Annabeth let him guide her through this new experience since she was inexperienced and unsure what she was supposed to do. However, as she felt his tongue enter her mouth, she pulled back a bit, breaking their kiss. "What's wrong, love?"

"I-I wasn't expecting that, that's all," she said innocently as she looked away from him and blushing uncontrollably.

He chuckled before saying, "I'm sure you've seen Lilliana and Sebastian kiss like that before many times, right?" She blushed more, but nodded. "It's their way of showing their love for each other."

"But they claim to not be in love," she said shyly.

"So they say. I guess in their case, it's more an act of lust than love," he said before he kissed her again. She kissed him back and when he slid his tongue in her mouth, she embraced it, especially when their tongues touched, sending a bit of an erotic rush throughout her body. Once she was captivated under his spell, he started to place his hands all over her torso. Usually, she would tell him that he wasn't allowed to touch her like this, but she was too enthralled in their kiss to care. However, he pulled back, seeing how she would react to his touch once their lips parted, but her face seemed to beg for more, even when she was silent. "Enjoyed it, my dear?" She looked away and nodded, but he guided her face back into his gaze as he said, "Out loud, dearie."

"Yes," she cooed, making him smirk. Soon, he started to kiss her neck, at first surprising her, but she couldn't help, but moan a bit. Now she understood why Lilliana enjoyed this; it was very pleasurable. This warm feeling she felt throughout her body was nothing like she ever felt before. His lips on her soft flesh made her shudder and moan subtlety. She wanted more of this. Much more. She never wanted it to end, but unfortunately, it did.

His lips got close to her ear as he whispered. "I want to savor sex for the actual wedding night." He then sat up on the bed, watching how his doll would react and laughed when she seemed disappointed. "Like I said, sex happens after matrimony and if you want us to be married, we shouldn't spoil this intimate moment right now."

"Y-You tease," she said, making him laugh.

"He-he, I'm sorry, love, but you wanted a taste. However, I promise you this," he said before kissing her, without tongue this time. "I will make you my wife once we are free from the Reaper Association."

She could feel the tears of joy creeping into her eyes as she hugged him tightly, so happy to hear him say such happy words to her. "I love you, Adrian."

"I love you too, Annabeth."

* * *

Eris was waiting outside a hotel across the city. She knew they would be arriving any moment and prepared some rose water in advance. Although she knew the effects wouldn't work on a fellow demon, it would on Reapers and humans and that's all she needed as of now. However, she was growing impatient. If she found out they were here, she would be dead. "They should be here right now. What's taking them so long?" Soon, her worries relieves as she saw their carriage and she waved her hand at the driver. He drove it toward the hotel and soon stopped so she could open the door to let her clients out. "Bienvenue à Paris. I'm sure you have had quite the journey-,"

"About time! My body is so stiff from all that sitting," Grell said as he hurriedly got out of the carriage to stretch his limbs.

"After enough carriage rides, you get used to it," Ciel said as he exited the carriage, followed by Sebastian, who was more than relieved to be freed from such a confined space shared by Reapers.

"It wasn't the duration of the carriage ride that was the issue. It was the company," William said as he pushed his glasses and exited the carriage.

"Oh, don't be so rude, Will," Grell said as he tried to hold onto Sebastian's arm, but he moved out of the way. He would try to latch on to him multiple times, but he was too tired from the trip to try. "But I must have my beauty rest if I am ever to continue with this search."

"Well, I assure you that this hotel isn't five stars for nothing. I can even book you free rooms since . . . well, you can guess why," she said with a smirk.

"Yeah yeah, we get it, you're a slut. If you wouldn't mind, I wouldn't want to sleep alone, so would you book me with either Will or Bassy?" Grell said with love in his voice, but as he looked at Sebastian, he was reminded of something. "Actually, just Will since I know Bassy will try to have the brat sleep in our room." William's eyebrows burrowed while Sebastian and Ciel sighed in relief.

"You read my mind, Ms. Sutcliff. I figured two rooms would be enough since any more would be too much. Besides, each room has two beds so you don't have to share one."

"Thank goodness," William said, much to Grell's dismay. "But I'm still not pleased with sharing a room regardless."

"Oh come on, Will. Don't be such a sourpuss," Grell said as he wrapped his arm around Will's, making him sigh in annoyance.

"Well, if you don't mind, I think it's about time that I retire for the night. Excuse me," Ciel said as he walked into the hotel, followed by Sebastian, who made sure to keep a close eye on the demon that was supposedly helping them and it didn't help that they now had the Reapers tagging along. He knew the reason why the young lord would want to track Undertaker down was not to bring Lilliana back, but to make sure he was safe. Sure, they may not be on the best terms, but he is still family friend to the Phantomhives and he is the last remaining person that was close with his father. He wanted to help him and Annabeth escape more than he would like to admit. If Sebastian were a human, he might have been touched by Ciel's kindness, but he wasn't. If anything, he found it amusing.

"Well, there goes Bassy, off to help that brat," Grell said before he let out a yawn. "Well, I think it's time for us to hit the hay as well. What do you say, Will?"

"Oh, before you do, you might want to have a drink at the bar. They have the best liquor here that can-," Eris said before she was cut off.

"I'm afraid liquor does not have any effect on our kind. Plus, I find it suspicious you would want to offer us a drink anyway," William said as he pushed his glasses.

Eris chuckled as she said, "I guess no one trusts me. I get that. We demons are not known for our loyalty, but I assure you that I am doing this to protect those I care about, even if they don't see it that way. Besides, I have the perfect drink for you four to try anyway. I just figured that it would be better to drink at the bar." As she said that, she pulled out a jar of rose water from her bag. "I assure you that this is nothing harmful. It is just a drink to help refresh you."

"You expect us to just drink anything you make?" Grell asked in disbelief as he held onto William's arm tightly.

"No, but Lilliana drank this as well and she's an expert on demonic elixirs," she said as she poured the water into three black glasses. Their breaths hitched at the sound of her name, out of either anger or worry. She chuckled. "She too was untrusting of me offering them a drink, but rose water is completely harmless. Besides, why would I want to harm the people that are trying to keep Adrian safe in Reaper custody? In fact, I'll have some with you just to show how harmless it is."

"I do suppose you have a point," Grell said before he reluctantly took the two cups from her hands and looked inside. Rose water was supposed to have a pink hue, but he couldn't really see it while it was in the black cup. Regardless, he offered one to Will and said, "We _are_ both exhausted from everything that's happened the last few days, so I don't see the harm in refreshing ourselves."

William took the glass before he glared at Eris and asked, "You promise us that no harm will be brought to us if we drink this?"

"I promise. I may be a demon, but I don't harm my clients," she said as she placed her hand over her chest. Soon, they clank their glasses and drank it down.

"Mm, that _is_ refreshing. Just what I needed," Grell said in delightful surprise.

"Indeed, it is quite a delicious drink, even if it was made by a demon," William said in equal surprise.

"I'm glad you two enjoyed it," she said with a smile.

"Was that rose water you gave them or something else?" Sebastian asked out of the blue as he approached the trio, still outside the hotel.

"Oh Bassy! You've returned! Oh I'm ever so delighted to see you again!" Grell said as he tried to kiss him, but he moved out of the way in time, as usual.

Eris' smile soon faded seeing him, but after a while, she started to laugh. "Well, it looks like I keep meeting so-called experts in demonic elixirs. I already explained to Lilliana that rose water is harmless since the rose's power is diluted in the water-,"

"But there is one type of rose that has powers so strong that not even something as pure as water can weaken," he said as he grabbed her jar and started pouring out the rose water.

"Hey, do you have any idea what I had to do in order to get that!" Eris yelled as she tried to get it back, but soon, they all saw that the rose water had a grey hue, not pink.

"Just as I thought; it's _black_ rose water." The two Reapers gasped a bit at the discovery and were angered that they were tricked into drinking it.

"You promised us that it wouldn't harm us! I knew we couldn't trust you," Grell said as he tried to rev up his chainsaw.

"Détendez-vous. I didn't lie to you two when I said it wouldn't harm you, but Sebastian is right: you both drank black rose water, which has an interesting power. I'm surprised he knew about it since it is a recent discovery in demonic elixirs. Some human chemist found out its powers only a month ago, thanks to some help from a demon. It's no wonder that Lilliana didn't know about it since she has been out of the circle for a long time."

"If it is not a poison, then what does it do?" William asked angrily.

She smirked as she answered, "Black rose water is a very special elixir that gives the drinker visions based on their deepest desires in their souls. Usually, it's lust, but I've seen envy and greed pop up once in a while. Sometimes even repressed memories play a part. Anyway, once activated, the person cannot tell they are having a vision until it's over."

"These visions . . . they aren't, you know, dangerous, are they?" Grell asked.

"As long as they don't make you do something stupid like cut your arm off. I remember one guy doing that because he believed his dead wife would come back if he did," she said before laughing hysterically. "It was hilarious and the mess he left behind was quite the surprise for the poor maids that had to clean it up."

The Reapers gulped, but Sebastian asked, "Why would you want them to drink it? It seems pointless to do it while they are on their search."

"Because when else am I going to get the opportunity?" Eris said before giggling. "Besides, you're not the only people I tricked into drinking it."

"So you made Lilliana, Undertaker, and Annabeth drink it too?"

"Mhm and they should be asleep by now, but I believe that the two of you should go to sleep before the visions activate. It wouldn't be fun if you two had the visions while chasing them down and if you're lucky, they will only be dreams."

"S-She does have a point," Grell said as he held onto William's arm again. "I think is time we go to bed, what do you say, William darling?"

He looked at the two demons, but sighed as he said, "I guess so, but I would prefer it if you didn't call me by that name."

"Oh, but it's so much fun to call you that. Besides, you won't let me call you that during work hours."

"I wonder why," Will said as the two of them headed off for the night. "We will report if we had our visions and then we will continue the investigation. Hopefully, we'll be able to catch them as soon as we can."

As the two of them walked inside the hotel, Sebastian turned to Eris and said, "I need to have a little chat with you before you head back to them."

"I'm sorry, monsieur, but I am not heading back to them. I am quite famished and need to be fed as soon as possible, unless _you're_ available," she said with a smirk, but he frowned. "Humph, you're no fun, but I guess it's because you have your lust on someone else. You know, I can be her for a night," she said before she changed her appearance to look like Lilliana, even changing both of her eyes to green.

"No thank you. I don't wish to defile myself with a succubus."

"So standoffish. I can see why Lilliana likes you," Eris said before she started heading off to her next destination.

However, she was stopped when she was asked, "Your eye was green, wasn't it?"

"Pardon?"

"When you were looking at that Grim Reaper, it was green, wasn't it?"

"Well, that redhead has multiple lusts. My right eye may have been green, but my left was red as well."

"I'm not talking about that cretin," Sebastian said angrily, but for more than one reason. "I'm talking about the other one."

She chuckled as she said, "I never took you for the jealous type, Sebastian. It's actually quite amusing that you're protective of this Grim Reaper. Is it because she is an easy prey or something much more than that?"

"Just answer the question," he said before a dark mist started to appear around him.

"Oh, are you demoning? You must be really mad in order to do that," she teased before he threw knives at her, but she dodged them in time. "I can't say much since it wouldn't be nice of me to spill my clients' secrets, but she isn't my client, now is she? All I can say is this and I hope you know your French: il l'aime et elle l'aimait il y a longtemps." Sebastian's shadow started to grow bigger, but she continued, "Calm down! This was before she met you. Besides, you could say that she wasn't herself when she did. Right now, she only has eyes for you." At those words, he took a deep breath and his dark mist diminished until it was back to being a normal shadow.

"That's all I needed to know. Thank you, Eris. Oh, and if I find out that Lucille is involved with you in any way, know that I won't hesitate in killing you."

She giggled a bit as she said, "My, no one trusts me, not even my own kind, but I guess it's only fair." At those words, he left her side and headed inside the hotel. She sighed in relief, but knew she still wasn't alone. She could sense the blue flames.

"My, I have never seen him so upset over one girl," Lucille said as she emerged from the shadows. "I guess if I want to get his attention, the first thing I should do is get that Reaper out of the picture."

"You leave her alone. You know what will happen if you try to hurt her as long as her brother is alive, correct?"

"Hmm? Oh right, her brother, Bastille. I'm surprised you know him? He's so high up in the ranks that not that many demons are familiar with his family secret."

"Well, I do and he would kill you if you killed her. That's why you can't use the mark to track her down. If you were to use any demonic activity on her, you know he will come after you. That's why you needed my help tracking them down for you."

"Correct, my dear. You're such a clever one," she said as she patted Eris' still black hair. "And the black rose water? Why did you give it to those Reapers?"

"I wanted to try a little experiment. Besides, I gave it to the others like you wanted. You'll be able to control their visions whenever you like. Now please, leave me out of this!"

Lucille laughed as she said, "Fine. Your part if fulfilled."

"And yours?"

"I'll reward you once I get her soul. For now, do whatever you succubuses do in Paris. Besides, you're not a rival to me since you couldn't even seduce our dear Sebastian. Farewell," she said as blue flames surrounded her and soon, she disappeared.

"True, I can't seduce him," she said as she looked up at a hotel window that was still lit. "But it's not him I'm after."


	18. His Repressed Desires

"What do you think we will see, Will? I'm so scared," Grell said as he was performing his nightly routine in the bathroom. Normally, he would do this in front of the vanity in his bedroom, but he didn't want to look unpleasant in front of William. In fact, this was the first time they were sleeping in the same room. He wished that they would be sleeping in the same bed, but this was a start. William changed into his pajamas since he knew his overly-dramatic coworker would take a long time in the bathroom and he had enough time to change before Grell would come back to examine his body.

"We shouldn't worry too much. After all, she could be lying to us about that just to mess with our heads. We'll just proceed with our investigation in the morning as planned, regardless if we have our visions or not," William said, finally laying on his bed and staring at the ceiling.

"Still, it worries me what I could see. She said the visions are based on the deepest desires of our souls, but I make my desires pretty clear, so what could I be hiding?" Grell said as he put some cream on his face and rubbed it in.

"Who knows if it will affect us at all? As far as we know, she uses it on humans to see their deepest desires. It might not even work for Grim Reapers."

"I guess you could be right, but I bet I know what you'll see if she's telling the truth," Grell said as he walked out of the bathroom in a red nightgown. As William saw him, his breath hitched, just out of surprise, he thought to himself. He never saw him wear such a thing. Yes, he wore flamboyant outfits, but he had yet to see him in a dress, let alone, a nightgown.

"And what is that suppose to mean?" William said as he removed his spectacles and put them on the nightstand. If he couldn't see him properly, he wouldn't be tempted to stare.

"Oh come on, Will. Are you really going to make me spell it out? L-I-L-L-I-A-N-A," he said in an angry tone.

"What does she have to do with this?"

"Well, I know for a fact you're not doing this to capture Adrian and his monster. No, you want to make sure Lilliana is safe and sound in your care. You may act emotionless, but I can read your feelings like a book."

"Well yes, I want to make sure she's all right. We don't want her getting herself killed. Besides, we're understaffed as it is," he said in his usual monotone voice.

Grell sighed loudly as he said, "You can try to deny it all you want, but it's true. Why do you think I flirt more when she's around?" Will just rolled his eyes as he rolled on his side to face the window. Grell sigh again. "Well, if you won't admit it to yourself, maybe your vision will. Goodnight darling," he said as he got into bed, removed his spectacles, and drifted off to sleep.

However, William couldn't sleep. Reapers needed sleep, just like humans, but not for the same amount. Despite that, he still couldn't sleep; too many thoughts were racing in his head. He may have seemed calm and collected about the whole vision dilemma, but in reality, he was just as scared as Grell, if not more so. He was scared what he would see. Grell had an idea, but he knew that it couldn't be true. He didn't have feelings for Lilliana, or at least, that's what he wanted to believe. He did in the past, but that was so long ago, when they were taking their final exam. She wasn't herself at the time; rehabilitation forced her to be a puppet, but regardless, he had to admit he fell for her then. However, when she revealed who she really was, all those feelings were extinguished. He was frightened of her for so long, but when he became her superior, he soon learned that she could be someone they could control easily. Yes, she's still rebellious, but not dangerous. Though, she is more dangerous now than ever before since she was acting on her own will. When they find Adrian and Annabeth, they will have to arrest her as well for her treason. He knew she would have to be rehabilitated all over again, but he had to admit, it would pain him to put her back to that horrible place.

Lilliana didn't like to talk about rehabilitation, but after William and Grell passed their exam, they got to see firsthand what they do with Rogue Reapers that misbehaved. It was traumatizing for them, so imagine what it would be like for the actual victim. They had her in a straight jacket and chains and kept her in a colorless room to make her go insane. It wasn't until Adrian stepped in to help that they were able to control her and keep her in control this whole time. They were very good friends back then, so he understood why she would do this, but still, he had to do his job, no matter what. They might exterminate Adrian for his very serious crimes, but what about Lilliana? Would she just be rehabilitated again or be terminated as well? Knowing Lilliana, if she had a choice, she would take the latter. . . . What would be life be like without a Rouge Reaper? Well, the only people who would miss her would be the human companions she has interacted with, including that little brat and the other servants he examined in the manor. Adrian and his doll would miss her terribly, that is, if they were still alive to see such as day. Ronald wouldn't like her gone, but even he knows it would be for a good reason. Grell, while claiming he hates her, will have _some_ feelings about her death. That demon probably wouldn't care at all, like the noxious beast he is. As for William . . .

"Will," a familiar voice called out to him. He opened his eyes and sat up on the bed, looking around to see where the voice was coming from. He thought it was Grell, but he was still asleep, fortunately for him. He shook his head before laying it back on the pillow, but yet again, he heard, "William."

"What in the-," he said as he finally got up from bed and checked outside the window. However, as he looked down, he saw a very familiar face looking up at his window and his breath hitched.

"William!" Lilliana yelled from outside the hotel. She wasn't wearing her usual outfit; she actually wore a purple dress and heels, an outfit that he never thought she would wear. She even pulled her hair away from her right eye so he could see both of them for once and she wore a bit of makeup. She looked . . . quite beautiful. Without hesitation, he quickly changed into his white button-down shirt, slacks, and dress shoes and headed downstairs, making sure not to wake up Grell, who was still sound asleep. Once he closed the door, he ran downstairs, hoping she would still be there when he arrived. However, when he arrived, she was gone. He looked all over the block for her, but she seemed to disappear without a trace, much to his dismay.

"I must be losing my mind," he said as he started to head back inside, but was stopped when he heard her voice again.

"Come follow me, Will." He turned around and saw her running away from him across the street.

"Lilliana, wait!" he yelled, but even in heels, she was faster than him. Plus, why would she be running away if she was the one who called him? Was she trying to remain hidden? This would be a terrible way of trying to hide from him. Was she teasing him? She does tease once in a while, but never to this extent. What the hell was this girl planning?

Eventually, she ran into a nearby motel, but he stopped before entering. She wouldn't lead him straight to Adrian and Annabeth, would she? No, she wouldn't. What is she doing bring him here? Regardless of the answer, he followed her inside. It was late at night, so the bar was closed and all the employees were asleep. While remaining quiet, he walked up the stairs, hoping to find where she went and lucky for him, a room at the end of the hallway was lit with the door ajar. He slowly walked up to it, making sure this wasn't some idiot's room who forgot to close the door this late at night, but when he looked inside, he saw a room lit by candles and a bed freshly made. The room was nice and clean, as if the maids just cleaned it, and not one speck of dirt was to be seen. He walked inside, trying to see if he could find her, but soon, he heard the door close behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Lilliana with a seductive smirk on her face. "I figured you would find me," she said as she walked up to him and put her arms around his neck.

"L-Lilliana, what are you doing?! This is not like you to-," he tried to say before she kissed him and quickly added tongue. He was surprised by the kiss and tried to pull back, but she kept their lips locked for a while.

Once she was done, she giggled. "My Lucifer, I missed this. It's been a long time since I did that."

"Lilliana," he said before he kissed her again and embracing her. Although he didn't add tongue, she did and gripped his hair a bit, keeping him very close. However, as they parted lips, she pushed him back on the bed and climbed on top of him.

"I bet you wanted this for a long time, haven't you, Will?" He didn't answer, but she started to undo the buttons on his shirt very slowly. "And I have wanting this for a long time as well ever since our last time." Once she was done, she started to take off her dress, but he stopped her.

"Wait . . . this can't be real," he said so suddenly.

"What do you mean, darling? Of course it is," she said as she slipped out of the dress, revealing her corset, panties, tights, and garter belt, but he looked away. "Last time, we let lust take over, but this time, I'll make you feel good-,"

"No, Lilliana wouldn't do this. You're not her!"

"William, you're acting delusional. Of course it's me," she said as she tried to remove his pants, but he gripped her wrist tightly. "W-Will, you're scaring me," she said in a frightened tone.

"Show me your devil mark," he said sternly.

"I-I beg your pardon?"

"You have a devil mark on your lower back thanks to that demonic bastard. I saw it when you were at the circus and they made you wear that silly and revealing costume. I will not be tricked again. If it really is you, show it to me," he said in an almost insane tone.

Lilliana widened her eyes, but sighed. "I didn't think you would have some sanity left in you, William, but even black rose water can't control you," she said as she snapped her fingers, releasing him from his vision. As he looked around, he saw that the candles disappeared and the room looked cheap and dirty. Lilliana still looked like herself, but once she blinked, he could see the purple left eye. "I really thought I could feed off of you this time, but you seem to see past my ruse."

"It's you!" he said angrily as he roughly pushed her off of him, nearly to the floor, and quickly jumped out of the bed. "You don't know when to give up, do you?!"

"It's only because you always seem to fall for it at first," Eris said as she returned to her usual appearance. "Besides, you fell for it hard back at the circus. I got to feed off of you just a bit before we got caught."

"What the hell do you want from me?! You could have tried to seduce my coworker, but instead, you had to come after me," he said angrily. He hated this demon more than anyone, maybe even Lilliana.

"I told you once before that your lust is different than the others I have encountered. Most people I have met only want to have sex with the people I become, but you're different. You don't want sex at all, or at least, not at first. You want something much more than that."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but leave me alone! I don't want anything to do with you!"

"I know, I know. I have tricked you, not once, but twice. Plus, I got to steal more kisses from you than Lilliana ever could," she said with a chuckle. "Well, I don't know if that's true anymore." However, she was suddenly pinned to the wall by the neck with William's Death Scythe. "It was only a joke," she managed to choke out.

"When will you ever go away?! Once this is all over, I want to never see you again, do you hear? If not, I promise I will kill you myself."

"My, my, so touchy. Fine, I promise. You have my word," she choked out. Once he was satisfied, he let her go, giving her a chance to catch her breath.

"And promise me you will not mention this to anyone, understand me?"

"I know. I don't want Lilliana after me as well. She can be quite the jealous woman when people get too close to what's hers."

His eyebrow arched at the comment. "What do you mean by that?"

She smirked as she said, "Well, she won't admit it, but there is some desire in her for you. Right now, it's masked by a lust for that demon butler, but just like you, she has a different type of lust that interests me. I know that you both released inner lust for each other sometime after our last encounter, but there's something lingering, isn't there? Both of you are Grim Reapers and yet, you have feelings like that. Even Adrian does and at first, I assumed that he and Lilliana were different because they have been around demons, but you? How can a stoic Reaper like you, who have little interactions with demons, have this emotion? So, it got me thinking that Grim Reapers aren't as emotionless as they are told to be."

"What you see are past emotions. They don't exist anymore."

"Ce n'est pas vrai et vous le savez," she said as she started to leave the room. "I promise not to tell her, but if I were you, I would keep my guard up. That demon nearly tried to kill me because of jealousy. Can you believe it?"

"Demons can't feel any genuine emotions for any creature," he said as he tried to head out of the room, but before he could open the room, Eris closed the door to stop him.

"Look, William, I don't know where you keep hearing these lies, but you do realize that we are not as heartless as they want you to believe. According to my sources, your kind sees us as evil creatures because we devour the souls you collect, but that's how we live. Food and drink does not satisfy us, but souls do. So, since we get in the way of your job, your people decided to make up lies just so it would be easier to kill us off. I can only assume, but I bet that Lilliana doesn't appreciate hearing those lies, am I wrong?" He didn't respond, giving her another opportunity to speak. "Listen, I actually do want to help you, believe it or not. I do act like a tease and ask if you need some practice, but that's because I want you to be ready for when the time comes."

"What are you-,"

"That contract won't last forever. Once the boy's contract is complete, he cannot stay on Earth, or at least, not without a lot of persuasion. Lucifer is very fickle about who he allows to roam free on Earth and who he chooses to keep in his company in Hell. In other words, that demon she claims to not have feelings for will have to separate from Lilliana and she will need someone to fill that emptiness. I mean, she could always go to her brother, but how likely will that be with you guys hounding over her like she was prey? So, while she's at her lowest, that will be the best time for you to swoop in and-,"

"I don't want to hear any of this. I know you demons want your deals, so I am not accepting anything you are telling me. Now, goodnight, demon," he said as he practically used all of his strength to open the door and quickly shut it so she wouldn't follow him so easily.

She sighed as she said, "That damn Reaper is so stubborn. What exactly would I gain if he got the person he desires for the most? Besides, I think after this is all done, I'll be done making deals for a while. . . . If only people would believe me."

After a swift walk back to the hotel, William reached out to open the door slowly since he knew that a Grell was still asleep, or at least, he didn't want to give him an excuse to try and embrace him. However, through the door, he could hear him whimper and it genuinely concerned him. He actually sounded like he might have been in pain. Once he opened the door, he saw that Grell was tossing and turning uncontrollably in his bed with a pained look on his sleeping face. If he didn't look so distraught, he wouldn't have tried to help him, but knowing that black rose water has an effect on Reapers, he had to wake him up. "Grell, wake up!" Will said as he shook him, hoping that it won't harm him in his visions. Who knows what they can do. "I said wake up!" he said as he shook him more violently.

"Huh, what? What?!" Grell said as shook himself back into reality. He would have fallen off his bed if William wasn't there to catch him. This was the first time that William saw Grell at such a frightened stage. He was still trying to catch his breath and he almost looked like he was going to cry. "Oh William, it was awful," he said as he hugged the man he loved.

Usually, William would try to get out of Grell's grip, but he knew it wouldn't be appropriate at a time like this. Instead, he embraced him, glad that he was all right. He may be an annoying nuisance, but he was still special, in a way. "It's all right. You were having a bad dream."

"I think I had a vision."

"And what did you see?"

"I-I'd rather not say," he said before curling up into a ball on his bed. "I thought it was suppose to show us what we desired, not what we feared."

"Maybe they are one and the same," William said as he sat on his bed, taking off his shoes.

Grell looked at him curiously. "Weren't you changed before I fell asleep?"

"Y-Yes, but I'm afraid I had a vision as well," he said before putting his spectacles on the nightstand.

"What did you see? Was I right?" Grell said in a surprisingly non-teasing voice.

"I-I don't want to talk about it."

"All right. Could you at least say if I was right or wrong?"

He sighed before saying, "No. I did not see Lilliana. It was all a trick."

* * *

Not long after her meeting, Eris went to the hotel room to prepare for tomorrow's trip. For some reason, Lucille wanted the trio, but especially Lilliana, to pass by this burned down village, but she didn't know why. She could tell them she wanted them to see this place outside the city, but she needed to find a good enough reason for them to leave such a beautiful city. After all, they wanted to tour Paris before they set up a meeting with the Parisian Reapers. Now, what excuse could she-?

Suddenly, she felt a hand tighten around her throat while another was holding her arm behind her back. Great, she was going to be choked again. Not like that was a bad thing, though. She had a certain fetish for it, but not at a time like this. She tried to escape, but her attacker had a great amount of strength to subdue a succubus. "Now you tell me where Lilliana is before I break your neck in half," a low voice said from behind her, but once she figured out who it was, she chuckled.

"It's funny, really. You mark her so she will be able to keep track of her wherever she's at, but when you need it the most, you can't use it. How unfortunate," she teased.

"Just tell me where she is," Sebastian said as he suddenly put a knife on her neck.

"I'm sorry, but that would be revealing my client's information and I'm afraid I can't do that."

"What would it take for you to tell me where she is? You like your deals, right? So name your price."

"Oh monsieur, I'm afraid you wouldn't like the price I'm thinking of," she said with a chuckle.

"Just say it," he said impatiently, putting the knife closer to her neck. "We don't have much time."

She chuckled. "My price, if you wish to accept, is to have a taste of that Demonic Reaper."

"Out of the question," he said, putting the knife on her neck and piercing her skin a bit. A little blood loss wasn't anything demons would worry about.

"Well, I'm afraid I won't be able to tell you anything. My deal makes it quite clear to not let anything get in their way, so I mustn't spill secrets they could jeopardize my clients. I may be helping you, but I'd rather have your meeting feel natural than forced. You should know how important deals are to us."

"There is no way that I would let you get anywhere close to her, even for a deal. Besides, I cannot force Lilliana to do something she didn't consent to."

"Consent is a funny thing, you know. It is a very powerful tool, but is given out so easily. Just trick them, and you have it. I've learned that ever since I was born as a succubus. Once they learn the truth, that's when they feel violated, but they still consented."

"I will not put her in that situation for your game. Now tell me where she is!"

"And if I refuse? Admit it, Sebastian, you need me."

"Not necessarily, but I'd rather not use the method I have planned," he said, letting her go.

"That's right. If you use the mark, you'll be able to find her, but you won't be only one notified," she said as she walked away from him a bit to ensure her safety. "Any devil marking on her will alert the demon who placed them on her, including Lucille."

"Is there any other way of convincing you?" he asked almost desperately, which Eris found amusing, but she shook her head.

"A taste or nothing at all. Unless, you want a Lucille to find you," she said teasingly. Sebastian scowled at her, which made her laugh. "It shouldn't be a hard decision for a demon, but for you, it is. Interesting~. I have met quite unusual deities recently."

* * *

Lilliana stood watch on top of the roof of the motel. She told Adrian and Annabeth that she would get some sleep tonight, but she hadn't been able to sleep ever since they travelled to Paris. Knowing that Lucille was out there, waiting for her payment, she had to keep her guard up no matter what time it was, especially when they had to stay at the same place for a while. With Annabeth being human, they would have to stop a lot on their trip, bringing Lilliana more and more anxiety each time. Eventually, Lucille will find them and will do anything to get Annabeth's soul. Lilliana would have to fight her, but she was still recovering, so she wouldn't be able to fight her with all her strength. Plus, she knew Lucille had been holding back this entire time. She hasn't fought at her full strength yet. Would she be able to handle her? She only hoped.

She wondered if their escape plan was even going to work. Putting their faith on a demon and a branch of Reapers was a risky move. There isn't a guarantee that it will work, but her main concern was Eris. Out of all the succubus in the world, it had to be her. She knew her from Noah's Ark Circus, but what angered her most was that she seduced William, of all people, by taking Lilliana's appearance. They . . . did so much before she caught them. Ever since then, it had been very awkward between them and although they seem to have gotten over it, it's when the two of them are alone together does the awkwardness return. It even led to an intense confrontation, but it led to . . . something passionate. They agreed then to never speak of it, but that was one hell of a secret. Still, Lilliana wondered why she felt angry about the incident. She had no reason to, but the thought of another woman with William made her furious. If Eris hadn't escaped her that night, she would have surely killed her.

Suddenly, she felt a wave of pleasure throughout her body which made her moan unexpectedly. "What the hell?!" she said to herself as she fought the feeling, but it seemed to overpower her. She hugged herself tightly, her breath quickened, and she had desires she knew she couldn't fulfill now. Her eyes were red, but there was no blood nearby and despite her hatred for Eris, it wouldn't have been enough to change the color. "D-Dammit," she uttered, but soon, the feeling went away and she regained her strength. "What the ( _censored_ ) happened?!" she said to herself before grabbing her Death Scythe in case of an attack. She pondered to herself; if that was Lucille using the contract, she shouldn't have felt anything. Even a Branding Incantation, which is a mark forced on the victim, would have been painful if activated. No, for a feeling an immense pleasure, it had to be a Mark of Lust.

"There you are," Sebastian said as he jumped to the roof right behind her. By instinct, she swung her Death Scythe toward him, but he caught it before it could strike him. "Even at your healthiest, your never could quite hit me with this."

"Sebastian?!" Lilliana said as she lowered her Death Scythe. "What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be protecting Ciel from-,"

"He's here in Paris," he interrupted, but he pulled her close to him, surprising her. "I'm just glad you're all right."

"Wait, why is he here?" she said as she pushed him off.

"Well, your _'f_ riend' Eris dropped by the manor the same time our two _favorite_ Reapers showed up," he said with disgust in his voice.

"Our two fav-Grell and William?!"

"Yes and she is leading us right to you three so they can take him back to custody."

Lilliana's eyes turned to red as she said, "That bitch! I knew we couldn't trust her!"

"Calm down, Lily," he said, making her eyes turn green, but her cheeks flush red.

"Y-You don't call me by that name," she said in a slightly flustered tone. Only her brother and Adrian called her that, but that's because they know about her life before the Reaper Association.

"Oh, I guess I learned a new way of turning you on when I used the mark on you," he said with a smirk that soon faded.

Her cheeks were bright red, but soon realized something. "Wait, you used your mark on me?!" He looked away with a hand behind his head. Her eyes grew red again. "You idiot! Do you realize what you just did?!"

"Yes, I know, but I couldn't find you any other way. Besides, you know what you have to do now that Lucille knows where you are."

"We have to leave right now," she said as she picked up her Death Scythe and was about to descend to her room through the window, but he grabbed her wrist before she could.

"I know time is of the essence, but you must be at least a little _excited_ because of the mark. Besides, it's been a while since we done anything-"

"No time for that," she said as she removed his hand and descended down. He tried to catch her again, but she managed to slip into her room and closed the window before he could enter. She let out a sigh before rushing to Annabeth and Adrian's room and knocking on the door loudly. She knew that they would be asleep, but she had to wake them up now if she wanted to keep them safe.

After a while, the door opened and out came Adrian. "Lilliana? Do you realize what time it is?"

"I'm sorry to wake you, but this is serious: Grell and William are here," she said in a panicky voice.

"What?! How do you know this?"

"Sebastian and Ciel have been following them. I don't know how they know, but he told me they're here."

"Well, if that's the case, then we should start moving quickly."

"What's going on?" Annabeth said in a sleepy voice as she just woke up.

"I'm sorry, dearie, but we have to leave now. Two Reapers followed us and are here in Paris," he said in an equally worried voice.

"Wait what?"

"Don't worry. I won't let anyone harm you. I promised you that and I'm not going to break it."

"Now let's get going before they find us," Lilliana said as she went downstairs, hoping to find a carriage. Adrian and Annabeth quickly collected their things and followed her downstairs. They left their keys at the front desk and quickly ran outside, where they were surprised to see Eris and Lilliana waiting for them.

"I heard from some Reapers that two Londoners were here. Dépêchez-vous! We don't have much time to waste before they find us," Eris said as she got inside the carriage, followed by Lilliana, who had red in her eyes.

"Get in, love," Adrian said as he helped Annabeth in before getting in himself. With a knock on the ceiling, the driver whipped his reins and the carriage moved to whatever destination lied ahead.


	19. Her Lost Memories

The quartet rode out into the countryside for a long while. With the imminent threat of being caught by William and Grell, they had to leave the city as quickly as possible and gain some distance before the sun rose. Luckily for them, Reapers need sleep, so they had an opportunity to escape. By now, the morning sun was barely rising, covering the countryside with light. Annabeth was asleep in the carriage while Adrian kept her close in his arms, wanting to never let her go, especially when their mission was becoming more intense. He thought she had the most beautiful sleeping face he had ever seen, which says a lot knowing how many centuries he has lived. He has seen millions of faces at this point, yet this is the one that made him smile every time he saw it.

Lilliana was silent, mainly so she wouldn't lash out at Eris, the traitor. Now that she knew that she led Will and Grell here, she didn't want her out of her sight, even at their next stop. Who knows when she'll lead her coworkers right to them and have them arrested? She wanted to kill her right now, but doing so would jeopardize their escape. Plus, Eris wouldn't betray her friend without a reason, but what reason would that be? It wouldn't make sense for a demon to go to Grim Reapers out of her free will unless there was something to benefit from it. Grim Reapers already have a prejudice towards demons that forbids them from interacting with them in any way, so there would be no way that Eris would be fed by helping them, especially from William and Grell . . . unless she was disguising herself as someone they admired. Just the thought of it made her blood boil more than she would like to admit.

However, their escape would be delayed further when the wheel of the carriage broke suddenly, forcefully bouncing all four of them around inside. Annabeth woke up with fright and screamed as she was jerked back and forth in her seat and almost out of it, but Adrian kept her close as he tried his best to keep them stable. Eventually, the carriage stopped moving abruptly and all four of them took a deep breath before quickly leaving the carriage.

Adrian, Annabeth, and Lilliana huddled a little away from the carriage as they noticed the damage on it thanks to the broken wheel. Luckily, the driver and the horses were not harmed, but the driver was going to get an earful from the succubus, or at least, that's what they assumed. "Qu'est-il arrivé?"

"Je ne sais pas. La roue s'est effondrée," the driver responded.

"Eh bien, vous feriez mieux de réparer rapidement cette roue! Nous devons nous déplacer dès que possible," she said with worry in her voice.

"Je ferai de mon mieux, mademoiselle, mais cela peut prendre quelques heures," he said before getting down from his seat and examining the wheel.

Eris sighted before she walked to the trio and said to them, "I'm afraid we might have to stay here for a while."

"Are you telling me that we are stuck in the middle of nowhere while Will and Grell are after us?!" Lilliana said as her eyes began to turn red. She had a strong suspicion that this "accident" was on purpose and Eris knew exactly what she was feeling. She could see it in her eyes.

"I had nothing to do with this, Lily, but luckily for us, I know this whole countryside like the back of my hand. There is a small village close by that we can rest at until the carriage is fixed. After that, it shouldn't be too far until we reach our destination."

"And that is?"

"A small city where most of the Parisian Reapers like to go to on their time off. That's where I met most of my clientele, after all," she said with a smile, but Lilliana was clearly not amused. "Anyway, there is little cafe that we can eat breakfast at. I'm sure you would like that." At the sound of her statement, they could hear Annabeth's stomach growl and Eris laughed.

"I-I guess a bite to eat wouldn't hurt," Annabeth said in an embarrassed tone.

"How about we get some chocolate cake for breakfast. How does that sound, love?" Adrian said with a reassuring smile that calmed her worries.

"Oh, that would be heavenly," she said with a sweet smile.

They turned to Eris as he said, "Lead the way."

"Certainly," she said as she started to walk to the direction of the village.

* * *

After a while of walking, they finally arrived and luckily for them, the cafe was the first place they saw. Annabeth was exhausted from walking so far; she wasn't told that it would be a long hike. If she knew that, she might have worn more comfortable shoes. In fact, Adrian had to carry her bridal style halfway through the walk. The deities walked the long distance with ease, but they knew that the human body was more fragile and couldn't handle the same force. Once they reached the cafe, they quickly went inside and Annabeth wasted no time in finding a table for four. The place was small and rustic with minimal decorations, but had a cheerful atmosphere with all the happy customers. Annabeth quickly looked over the menu and was disappointed to not find a chocolate cake. "Aw, Adrian, they don't have it."

"Well I would think that a place like this wouldn't serve cake for breakfast, especially this early in the morning," he said as he looked at the menu, hoping to find something she would like. Her palate was limited, but at least she was willing to try new things.

"Good morning, ladies and gentleman," a man with salt and pepper hair and an English accent said as he walked over to their table. He was a round fellow that wore a stained apron, but kept a magical smile that could make the unhappiest people smile. "Today's special is . . . Eris Melania! I didn't think I would see you here. It's been a long time," he said as he gave her a hug that shocked Eris and everyone around her.

"B-Bonjour, mon aime," she said in a shaky voice.

He finally released her as he looked at the others and asked, "Are these your friends or your _friends_?"

"Th-These are old friends who I have known for years. Their names are Adrian, Annabeth, and Lilliana," she said, clearly embarrassed by what was going on.

"Well, a friend of Eris is a friend of mine. Please, order whatever you like. It's on the house."

"D-Do you have chocolate cake?" Annabeth asked shyly.

"Well, I don't usually sell cake so early in the morning, but for you, I will make the freshest chocolate cake that France has ever tasted! Is there anything else you would like?"

"Earl Grey for the four of us," Eris said.

"Splendid. I will get back with your food and drinks shortly," he said as he left their side in a gleeful manner.

Eris sighed as she looked at the menu, acting like nothing happened, but Adrian couldn't stay quiet. "You know I have to ask, Eris."

She looked at him and rolled her eyes. "His name is Michael Peters. I've known him for a long time," she said rather quickly before returning to her menu.

"Well, he must be quite the 'friend' to react that way toward you. So, how many times have you slept with him? You must do it often," Lilliana said rather rudely.

Eris usually would have snapped back, but she held herself together as she calmly explained, while still looking at the menu, "Actually, I've never fed off of him once."

"Really? Then how do you two know each other?" Annabeth asked curiously.

Eris looked up at Annabeth's sweet face and had a very hard time ignoring her. Eventually, she caved in. She looked at Lilliana and asked her, "I'm not sure if you would know this, but do you know what happens to demons when they die?"

Her eyes widened at the question. "W-Well, they don't exactly die. As long as the soul is unharmed, Lucifer can recycle it into either a lower-level demon or-"

"Human," Eris finished. They gave her a curious look as she finished, "His real name isn't Michael. It's actually Damien."

"Damien. Damien. I'm sure I've heard that name before," Lilliana said as she put a finger on her chin.

"Well, he was killed after he refused to give his father a soul that was free from sin, but under contract," Eris said as she finally put the menu down.

Lilliana's eyes widened as she realized who he was. "You're telling me that he is the son of Lucifer in human form?!" Eris nodded. "How can you be so sure?"

"It wasn't easy, but he had a certain aura around him that seemed different than most human's. When I was in England for a mission, I met him and he planned on sleeping with me, but he said that he had a demonic vision when he got close to me. Thanks to my abilities, I was able to see that he had a vision from his father, telling him he is destined for great things. Eventually, we got to talking and then I made the connection. The idiot thought moving to France would stop the visions."

"He must have had a reason to come to France out of all places," Adrian teased, which made Eris chuckle.

"I guess you could say that I helped a bit with that decision," she said, but was interrupted when an arm starting placing cups on the table followed by a chocolate cake.

"Are you talking about me, Eris? Ah, aren't you sweet," Michael said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hope you haven't told them _all_ our secrets."

"They pretty much know everything," she said with a genuine smile.

He looked at her with a concerned look. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'll explain later," she said as she grabbed the teapot from his hand and started pouring.

"A-All right then," he said before walking away to help his other customers.

"Does he know that you're a succubus?" Annabeth said with a mouthful of cake. No matter how many times Adrian taught her to not talk with her mouth full, she seemed to never learn.

"Oui and I tell him many times that he is a demon, but he won't believe me. I figured as much, but if he doesn't realize his potential before he dies, there could be a chance that his soul would be collected or devoured just like any other human's soul."

"Why would that-," Annabeth tried to say.

"Annabeth, you're spitting crumbs everywhere," Adrian finally said as he gave her a napkin.

"Oh sorry," she said as she swallowed and wiped her mouth with the napkin. "What happens if they are collected?"

Lilliana stole Eris' answer as she said, "The soul is lost. It is hard for a human, especially those raised to be religious, to realize their demonic potential. In order to do that, you must accept who you are and find a way to impress Lucifer."

"So they have to do a lot of evil things?"

"Not exactly. It can be something like exposing a church's hypocrisy or killing a corrupt demon. It just depends on how Lucifer interprets their deed," Lilliana said as she crossed her arms. "Being turned into a human is a very big deal to demons. Not every demon, even Lucifer's own children, can pass the test. I should know; I've collected souls that were once demonic."

"That sounds awful!" Annabeth said before taking another bite.

"I guess to a human it would sound horrible, but it exposed the weak from the rest," Lilliana said with a surprisingly depressed tone. "If you three will excuse me, I need some fresh air."

"Oh, where are you going?" Adrian asked, but she left their side without an answer.

"Lilliana?" Annabeth said with a concerned voice.

"It's nothing to be worried about," Eris said, making them confused. "She's only thinking of her brother."

"She has a brother?" Annabeth asked as she finally finished the cake.

"Yep. Bastille Kilia, one of the few humans to turn into a demon without dying first."

"Wait, really? How can a Grim Reaper have a demonic brother?"

Eris looked at Adrian and gave him a signal for him to answer. He sighed as he said, "Well, there are no such things as siblings in the Shinigami Realm since Grim Reapers are born after their human self-,"

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt your conversation, but I'm afraid your friend ran into the forest," Michael said suddenly, but had a concerned look on his face.

"She'll be fine," Adrian said. A forest was not nearly enough to harm a Grim Reaper, or even a human.

"Well, if it was any other forest, maybe, but I'm afraid that place is cursed. Anyone who dares enter it may not come back out."

"How many times have I told you that ghost stories aren't funny?" Eris said as she sipped her tea.

"I'm being serious. It is rumored that inside the forest was a village that was burnt to the ground by a young girl with demonic powers. Rumor has it that the demon still haunts the village and anyone who enters it is destined to die a painful death."

"A village brunt to the ground? Do you by chance know how long ago?" Adrian asked, showing some concern.

"No one knows for sure, but most assume about two or three hundred years ago." Eris and Adrian looked at each other and she gave him a nod.

"All right, if you will excuse me, I will get her back. She could get lost in those cursed woods," he said as he got up from his seat and was about to leave the cafe, but Annabeth caught his hand.

"Wait, let me go with you," she said with a frightened look.

"I don't think it would be wise for-,"

"She is my friend too and I don't want either of you getting hurt. Whether you like it or not, I'm coming with you," she said with a slightly stern tone as she got up from her seat.

Adrian sighed as he looked at Eris and asked, "You know why I'm concerned."

She looked into his eyes and gave him a surprised look. "It's here? That village is-,"

"That's why I have to make sure she's all right," Adrian said as he and Annabeth left the café in a hurry and ran to the forest.

"Do they have any idea what will happen to them if they go in there?! Why didn't you stop them?!" Michael said in a frenzy as he was about to leave to run after them, but Eris stopped him.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine. They're sturdier than most humans I have met," she said rather calmly. He sighed before going into the kitchen to get food for the other customers, but Eris kept looking at the window. "It couldn't have been a coincidence that Lucille wanted me to bring them here, but why?" After a while of contemplating, she finally reached a realization. "The black rose water."

* * *

"Get back here, Lucille," Lilliana said as she followed a shadowy figure into the forest. She ran for a long time, trying to corner the figure, who she believed was Lucille, but no matter how fast she ran, there was no way she was going to catch up with it. She had close calls and nearly sliced it with her Death Scythe, but she always missed. "Stop running, you coward," she kept saying, but nothing was going to stop it. She didn't care how far away she was from the town at this point: her mission was to kill the bitch who threatened Annabeth's soul. As long as the Mark of the Covenant was on her wrist, Lucille would always be following her. "It doesn't have to end like this. You can just stop your pursuit for Annabeth's soul and you can go home unharmed. As much as I hate to do it, I'll let you live if you promise me that." However, the shadow never seemed to hear her. Even if the figure wasn't her, she knew it was Lucille who was controlling it. However, the further she ran, the more . . . familiar the woods were. How would that be? She's never visited this area before. Nothing should be familiar, but . . .

Soon, she reached a village deep within the woods, but it seemed very different from the one she just left. It was as if time had not touched it: a medieval village with outdated technology, but no people around. It didn't seem abandoned since the light in the houses were lit, but as she looked around the village, she realized that no one was in their homes; only things home were burning candles. "That's odd," she said to herself as she kept looking around the entire village, but nothing. No shadow, no people.

However, she did hear a quiet whimpering throughout the village. As she kept exploring, tracking down the source of the noise, she finally found it: a young teen girl in rags, crying over a grave with a headstone in the shape of a cross. Lilliana tried not to disrupt the girl, but without warning, the girl turned around and looked at her curiously. She had blue eyes and her hair was blonde, but it was discolored from the lack of baths. Her skin was filthy, but her face looked eerily familiar. Has she . . . met this person before?

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanted to know if you saw a shadowy figure-," Lilliana tried to say, but was interrupted.

"You know, my father died when I was very young. He was a poet and my mother loved him despite everything they went through at Notre Dame. Sadly, he died of pneumonia when my brother and I were very young. Despite the heartbreak, the three of us lived happily for some years . . . that is, until they found out my mother's secret," the girl said as started to cry. "They were ruthless. They didn't even give her a trial. They just tied her to a stake."

"Oh, that sounds awful," Lilliana said as she held back tears herself. She didn't know why she was. This story has been told many times and she's collected many souls just like it. However, she felt sympathetic toward this girl that she never felt for anyone. In fact, it didn't feel like sympathy. It was as if this was her own pain.

"But a priest was kind enough to watch over us. He favored my brother since he was strong enough to help around the cathedral . . . but he . . . he," she said with difficulty, but Lilliana felt a sharp pain in her body that caused her to finally shed the tears and cry out in pain. "He did things to me. Things that a priest should never do. However, they all believed him. My brother tried protecting me, but he wasn't successful every time."

Lilliana kept grunting in the pain. She didn't know what was going on. However, along with the pain, she started to have vague memories of a time long forgotten. "No! Please stop!" she cried out.

"That's what I said, but they wouldn't listen. That's when I took this knife," the girl said as she showed her the knife. Soon, Lilliana had another pain in her chest, one she thought was too familiar. "Sadly, Bastille was too late," the girl said as she ran off into the village.

Eventually, Lilliana was relieved of the pain and took a few deep breathes as she tried to figure out what just happened. "H-How was she able to do that?!" she said in genuine terror. She never had an experience like this in her immortal life and it terrified her. Was she a witch? Was she a demon? How does she know Bastille? So many thoughts were racing in her head, but she saw the headstone she was grieving at. She assumed it was for the girl's parents, but as she looked closely, she realized the name etched into the stone: Lily Kilia. Her eyes widened in surprise. "N-No, it can't be. Th-That's his last name . . . and my nickname."

However, an orange light caught her attention and she soon saw the villagers that she thought were missing. However, judging by their angry faces and their torches and pitchforks, she knew that something wasn't right. Trying to keep her sanity, she carefully walked to the group, making sure not to be seen. With that witch of a girl still around, who knows what she'll do next if she saw her. However, the further she walked into the village, the more she realized where they were headed: a stake. Nearby it were clergymen who were keeping a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and purple eyes with her hands tied behind her back. However, Lilliana knew this woman. She didn't know how, but she did. She never met the woman in her life, but seeing this woman gave her a . . . familiar nurturing bond that she seemed to miss.

"Ladies and gentleman, children of God, it is time once again that we purge the evil in this world, starting with this concubine from Hell. For years, she has been defiling our good village with her witchcraft, putting curses on the innocent and corrupting souls to seek Satan himself! How can a mother raise her children in such debauchery?" the archdeacon proclaimed to an angry crowd. "What do you have to say for yourself, witch?"

"I have survived against a judge that was just like you who believed that gypsies were evil and persecuted them for crimes they didn't commit. What makes you think that I would be scared of someone like you? For years, I have raised my children in this village, taking them to mass every Sunday, raising them in the way of God, and yet, you believe I corrupted them?"

"Blasphemy!" the priest said as he slapped her. "No woman from Hell would actively raise her children in the light of God without an ulterior intention to corrupt the sanctity of the church. Luckily for them, we shall save their souls from the sins cursed in their blood by killing the source."

"Mother!" a teenage boy yelled out from the crowd. Soon, everyone saw two children run up to the stake and tried to hug their mother, but the surrounding priests prevented them. Lilliana tried to get a good luck at who the children were, but they weren't facing the crowd, so she couldn't.

"Who could call a monster their mother? Children, she has deceived you all these years. She never loved you, but wanted to shield you away from the only love that matters: the love of God."

"She's not a monster! She's our mother! Please, she didn't do anything wrong! Let her go!"

"It's worse than we imagined. She has bewitched them with her spell, but once we purge her in flames, they shall be released. Tie her up to the stake!"

"Mother!" the two children yelled with tears in their eyes, but there was nothing they could do.

"Don't worry, my dear children. No matter where the flames take me, just know that I will always be watching over you and guiding you to the right path," the mother said as the priests tied her up to the stake and started placing stacks of hay around her.

"Even now, she is placing a spell on these defenseless children! Burn the witch now!" the priest said followed by the crowd chanting the phrase "Burn the witch!"

As the executioner walked toward her with a torch, the mother looked at the priests holding her children back and said, "You're right, I am a witch, but all I ever did was heal those who were ill or injured and yet, here we are. I tried to raise my children in the righteous path, but there is no such thing anymore. So, hear my final warning, my final spell: you are to raise my children in that righteous path that I once intended for them, but if you dare harm them in any way, your souls will never reach the Gates of Heaven. No, they will rest in the belly of a demon!"

The crowd laughed as the executioner finally threw the torch into the hay and quickly setting the stake on fire. Lilliana couldn't watch what was to happen next. All she could feel was an intense grief for a woman she never met. She has seen tragic deaths like these all the time, yet this one stranger . . . this familiar stranger . . .

"It's her! The daughter of the witch!" a familiar voice said from the crowd. She looked toward the scene laid before her and didn't see a burning stake. In fact, there wasn't one. The villagers with torches and pitchforks were still around, but the mother was gone. Instead, in the stake's place was the young girl that she saw earlier next to the boy she assumed was her brother, but the boy looked familiar. Too familiar. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, but his face, it reminded her of . . . "Bastille, I believe this woman has forgotten who she is. I think it's about time we make her learn." With that, the girl held out her knife and stabbed herself in the chest, but she didn't fall to the ground in pain or even express any discomfort. Instead, her eyes turned red and her hair darkened to black. Her brother's eyes also turned red and it was finally clear who they were supposed to be.

"Kill the witch's daughter!" the young Bastille said and the group followed his order, as if they were under his control.

"What the ( _censored_ ) is going on?!" she yelled as she pulled out her Death Scythe to defend herself, but she knew she couldn't kill any human not on the To-Die list, but she was absolutely terrified. "Get away from me!"

"Oh look, she has an instrument of Death. How very fitting for a Grim Reaper," the girl said as her eyes turned green. "Yet that's not who you are, isn't it?"

"Kill the witch! Kill the demon! Kill the Reaper!" the crowd kept chanting as they got closer and closer to her. She had no choice, but to run as the crowd followed her.

Lilliana was sure she was losing it. This must all be a dream. The four of them are still in the carriage, escaping from William and Grell and she must be asleep, dreaming this horrible nightmare. However, as she was lost in her thoughts, she tripped and accidentally slit her wrist deeply with her Death Scythe. "( _Censored_ )! That hurts," she said in pain as tried her best to compress the bleeding wound and make it to safety. Luckily for her, there was an open building nearby and she quickly entered it and shutting the doors. She made sure to avoid the windows as she listened to the crowd pass by the building, still on the hunt for another witch. She sighed in relief and then winced in pain as she tried to find something she could use as a tourniquet until her regenerative powers healed the wound.

"Oh goodness me, you have quite the wound on your arm," a deep voice said out of the blue, scarring her half to death. She quickly positioned her Death Scythe, getting ready for an attack, but the voice continued, "Don't be frightened, my child. There is no need to spill any blood in the House of God."

"In the House of-," Lilliana said in confusion until she realized where she was. "( _Censored_ ) me, this is a bloody church, isn't it?" Her eyes turned red with anger as she tightened her grip on her Death Scythe. She hated clergymen and churches with a passion since the very beginning of her existence.

"Such unholy language coming from a young lady. You must seek forgiveness for your sin."

"I don't care where I am, I was on my way out," she said as she tried to leave the church, but the doors were locked and she couldn't get out. "Oh come on! They weren't locked a second ago."

"My dear, you have committed so many crimes against the church. Such a pity too since these sins weren't yours to bear in the first place. It was all because of your whore mother who desecrated herself with Satan."

"My mother? You've got the wrong person, mister."

"Oh, I think you're the one who is mistaken, young lady," the voice said before revealing himself in the light. To her anger, it was the same priest who sent the mother to death outside. How the hell did he get in here so quickly? However, he approached her quickly and eventually pinned her to the wall, making her drop her Death Scythe. Lilliana was in shock: no human could ever subdue a Grim Reaper, not even Agni, who was only equally matched. She tried escaping, but his grip on her wrists was too strong. "You poor, poor girl. Your brother slaves away trying to pay for the sins his cursed mother brought him, but you . . . you can't do the things he can do. But . . . there is something you can do."

"Get off me!" she yelled, but nothing seemed to work.

"Trying to fight against an archdeacon who wants to save your soul? You really are your mother's child. I guess I must treat you like the whore your mother was." He removed one hand off her wrist and started to grope her, but she pushed away, finally able to break free.

"People like you are the reason why I hate the church! You corrupt, selfish, manipulative bastards!" Lilliana said, trying to find her Death Scythe, but despite dropping it nearby, she couldn't find it anywhere.

"You bitch. How dare you spit such blasphemy here! You really are your mother's child! You cannot be saved, even by God. I guess there is no point in being gentle since your purity is already gone," he said as he grabbed her and threw her to the floor. "Perhaps the virginal blood will remind you of the purity you lost when you sold your soul to Satan."

He got on top of her, trying to remove the buttons off of her top, but soon, she finally saw her Death Scythe lying exactly where she thought it would be in the first place. She quickly grabbed it and without hesitation, she stabbed the archdeacon with it. Despite the first blow being enough for him to stop, she kept stabbing him out of fear, grief, anger, sadness, and so many more emotions that she shouldn't be feeling.

"Lilliana!" Adrian yelled as he slammed opened the doors that were once locked and he and Annabeth saw the carnage inside. Lilliana took many deep breaths as she saw them, utterly relieved to see their faces, dropped her Death Scythe, and ran to hug Adrian, crying on his shoulder.

"What happened to you? Are you hurt in any way?" Annabeth asked as tried to make sense of what was going on. Never in her short life has she ever seen Lilliana like this. Probably no one has. "Why did you kill a pig?"

"That man was a pig! He tried to-," Lilliana said, visibly shaking.

"What man? All we see is a dead pig on the ground," Adrian said as calmly as he could. She wiped her tears and looked at where she killed the archdeacon, but she soon realized that it was indeed a wild boar that was dead on the ground, not a man. It had many stab wounds, which confirmed it.

"B-But he was here . . . ," she said in confusion, but soon looked around and saw that the so-called church was more like a charred ruin. "How d-did . . . ,"

"You must have had a vision," Adrian explained calmly. He knew that she went through a traumatic experience, but could never realize how traumatizing it was. "I figured you would at a place like this."

"Wh-Why would that be?" Lilliana said, still visibly shaking.

However, they both noticed the blood on her wrist and got worried. "Oh dear, you sliced your arm on accident. Here, let me help," Annabeth said as she grabbed her wrist and took out some bandages and water from her bag.

"N-No, you don't need to do that," she said in a frantic manner, but it was too late, she was already cleaning her wound and they both noticed a mark. "Oh, Adrian, look, she has a little blue tattoo on her wrist. It almost looks like the one Sebastian has on his hand."

However, Lilliana looked in terror as Adrian's look turned from concern to fear. "That isn't a tattoo; that is a Mark of the Covenant, meaning she is contracted to a demon . . . and based on the markings, it belongs to . . ."

Lilliana sighed as she said, "Lucille."

Annabeth gulped at the name. "Th-The demon?"

"Unfortunately," she said as she pulled back her wrist. "I-I'm sorry for keeping this a secret, but Lucille forced me into a contract that if she healed my bite wounds and freed Adrian, she would want Annabeth's soul."

"What?!" Adrian and Annabeth yelled in unison. "How could you accept a contract like that?!"

"I didn't! She found a loophole and now, I'm under contract and the only way to get out of it is to kill her."

"So that means she has been tracking up this whole time?" Adrian said, keeping Annabeth close to him.

"If she did, she would have to use the mark, but by doing so, she would give away my location to any other demon with a mark on me," she said. Adrian and Annabeth both knew about Sebastian's Mark of Lust on her lower back, but only Adrian noticed, thanks to a few missing button on her blouse, another blood red mark on her chest. "But she does know we are in France and that's the real reason why we had to escape Paris."

"So William and Grell aren't after us?" Annabeth asked as she stayed very close to the only protector she could trust.

"I didn't lie about that. Somehow, they found out where we were hiding, but I assure you that they won't find us. It's Lucille I'm worried about."

"Well, for now, we need to be on the move. We can't have her finding us. Besides, you need rest after what just happened here," he said as he gave her another hug. However, this time, she pushed away from him and headed outside, but to her surprise, the whole village seemed to charred ruins, just like the church. Everything was either charred or covered in ashes from a story long since forgotten.

"Yeah, rest would be nice," Lilliana said as she walked away, but not toward the town. In fact, she seemed to be going somewhere else.

"Um, the town is that way," Annabeth said, but Lilliana didn't answer. She looked at Adrian, who only shrugged, but knew that something was up. They decided to follow her and saw that she was headed to the cemetery and soon found the tombstone she saw earlier. "So, is she the girl who burnt down the village those years ago?"

"Why would you think that?" he asked with some shock in his voice. He wasn't expecting her to ask a question like that.

"Well, she has quite the connection with this place and it's burned down, like Michael said. Maybe that grave is someone that was very close to her."

"First of all, she wasn't the one who burned the village. Yes, this place is special to her, but not in a good way. And that grave, well, it doesn't belong to someone she was close to. It _is_ her."

"Wait, what?"

He sighed as he explained. "Grim Reapers were humans once, long ago, but they committed suicide, so, as punishment, they must collect the souls of the living until the end of their days or until they retire."

"So that means that you . . . ,"

"I honestly don't know. Maybe or maybe not, I'll never know. I have been around for a very long time. No Grim Reaper has any memory of their human selves, but some Reapers do examine the lives of humans on the brink of suicide. In fact . . . ," he said as he looked at Lilliana. "I collected the souls of her father and mother."

"You did? I thought you were part of the London branch."

"True, but I did occasionally go to other areas of the world just to escape the mundane task of soul collecting, but I wasn't expecting to see the birth of a Reaper."

"So that means that she . . . killed herself?"

"Unfortunately. She stabbed herself in the heart."

"That's awful. How can anyone commit suicide, especially as painful as that?"

"You never walked a mile in her shoes, so you could never understand," Adrian said with a sad expression. "No one just decides one day that they want to commit suicide; they are usually suffering for a long time and she was no exception."

"Can I ask what happened?"

"I'd rather you not. Lilliana won't remember, but I do. I watched as her brother tried everything he could to save her, but failing. He thought that a deal with a demon could bring his sister happiness, but he never realized that this is who she would become."

"I-I had no idea. I'm sorry," she said as she placed her head on his shoulder.

"But it is better she doesn't know. Despite their estranged relationship, he still does whatever he can to protect her, even watching her every step."

"Maybe we can meet him one day."

"One day, we will, but for now, we must keep your soul protected, no matter what. I won't let Lucifer's only daughter lay a finger on you. I love you too much for anything like that to happen."

Annabeth's eyes started to water as she hugged him and said, "I know I will be safe around you. I love you so much too."

"Even if we have to kill Lucille ourselves, you will be safe. You have my word."

After a while, Lilliana finally finished paying respects to the grave and looked around to see if there were other names she recognized. However, she didn't, relieving her slightly. She knew the truth about Grim Reaper's former human lives and wondered if she could by some chance remember the names of her parents, but she couldn't. Her brother never really died, so he wouldn't have a grave either. She got up and was about to head back to the couple, but noticed one grave that was close by; the name William Timont was engraved on it. She could feel an overwhelming sense of guilt looking at the name, but she had no idea why. She took a deep breath before walking to Annabeth and Adrian, who were relieved to see her finally calming down. "We should head back."


	20. Their Reunion

Ciel and Sebastian waited outside the hotel, waiting for Eris to take them to their next destination. She explained to Sebastian last night that she would move her clients to a new area, but they had to wait until they stopped before she could come back. If they really wanted to hurry, they could use their superhuman speed to catch up to them, but since the Reapers might have had a rough night, they figured a carriage would be best. Plus, Ciel was never a big fan of speed travel since he felt a bit sick afterwards. "How long are we going to wait for that demon?" Ciel said as he leaned against the building, crossing his arms in an impatient stance.

"She never gave an exact time as to when she would return. All she knew is that they would visit a certain location and once they were there, she would return as quickly as possible," Sebastian explained.

"Still, they're Reapers and one doll. They should reach their destination quickly."

"But what if they took a carriage just like we will? Don't forget, they could have visions last night as well."

"That leaves me curious about what they will see. She said it shows the deepest desires in a person's soul, but deities should be the exception," Ciel said. Sebastian told him what Eris did as a warning if the Reapers started acting strangely during the search. He wasn't sure if the visions would be immediate or need some time to work, but he didn't want to take that chance if the young lord might be harmed.

"I wouldn't say that, especially regarding the Reapers. If I remember correctly, they still do have some part of their soul, but it's repressed deep inside them."

"And demons?"

"Why do you think we devour souls, young master?"

Ciel nodded before saying, "Speaking of them, shouldn't they be out here by now? I thought they would be punctual especially with William."

"Who knows? I could never understand those creatures," Sebastian said with some bitterness in his voice, especially at the sound of Will's name. He didn't want to even see him after what Eris told him last night.

"Can you say the same for Lilliana?"

"Don't forget, she is not like her kind. She was one of us before she was one of them."

"I guess, but that makes her more unpredictable than any creature we've encountered. It's no wonder that they fear her more than any other demon."

"I wouldn't use the word 'fear'," a low voice said as they approached the two. The duo turned around and saw William and Grell, holding onto Will's arm, walking toward them, looking like a mess. They had bags under their eyes from lack of sleep and despite their clothes and hair looking fine, their faces said otherwise. "We just have to be very cautious of her in case she does something out of line."

"Like this, for example?" Ciel asked, but noticed that Grell didn't seem all that cheerful that he was able to latch himself onto the man he said was the love of his life. "Well this is quite a surprising sight. I thought you would be a lot happier, Sutcliff."

"Oh shut it, you little brat," Grell barked at him, but he was obviously holding back. It was quite unusual to see him not act flamboyantly, so something must have happened last night.

"Is it safe to assume that you two had visions?" Sebastian asked with an angry expression.

"Yes we did," William said, mirroring his angry face.

"I'm curious what you two saw. So what hidden desires did you two have?" Ciel asked cockily, but neither of them answered. Will figured that Grell did not dream of a secret desire, partly because none of his desires were secret, but it was mainly due to the fact that after Will woke him up, Grell showed a vulnerable side that he had never seen. It was almost like he was a child that needed comfort after a terrible nightmare. That's why he allowed Grell to hold onto his arm; he wasn't his usual self and he wouldn't do anything that usually annoyed him at a time like this. Though, Grell did ask what he saw once or twice, but he kept that a secret. It was a secret only between him, Eris, and Lilliana.

However, the conversation took a turn when they noticed that Sebastian started to act strangely, as if he was seeing a ghost. His face was displaying fear and even his mark on his hand started to glow through his glove. "Bassy, are you all right?" Grell asked, but didn't get an answer. If anything, Sebastian's facial expression was getting worse, as if he was afraid for his life and even pulled out his knives for an attack that was all in his mind.

"Sebastian! What is wrong with you?!" Ciel asked in a very concerned tone. He never saw him act like this, even at times when the young master was so close to death. Sebastian even started to breathe heavily, as if he was running to escape something, but he hadn't moved a muscle.

"Je suis désolé, je suis en retard," Eris said as she appeared in front of the group, who were startled by her presence. "Why do you all look so . . . ," she said before she noticed Sebastian's frightened look. "Sebastian? What's going on with you?" she asked, but soon noticed that his hand was glowing. "Oh no, Lilliana," she said under her breath before she started to shake him violently. "She's fine! It's just a vision! She isn't in any danger," she said, confusing the rest of the group.

"She? Who does she mean?" Grell said in a curious tone.

"The only she that matters," William said in a worried tone.

"Sebastian! Wake up! She's fine! Please believe me!" Eris kept repeating, but with no luck. She looked at the rest of them before asking, "How long has he been acting like this?"

"Only for a couple of minutes, why?" Ciel asked.

"Demons have an interesting connection with the people they mark. They can track them down, control their feelings, and even possess them if they have a rare power, but at the same time, if the marked person exhibits immense fear or pain, the demon will feel it too."

"But I'm perfectly fine," Ciel said.

"Enfant idiot! You're obviously not the only person he's marked," she said rather angrily. This was why she hated kids, but Sebastian was finally calming down, relieving mostly everyone. "Sebastian, she's fine. It was only a vision and nothing she saw was actually real," she said comfortingly, but he grabbed her throat and lifted her up in the air. "Sebastian!"

"You sent her there? Are you insane?!" he said angrily and a dark mist started to surround him.

"He's demoning," Grell said as he hid behind William, who was just as scared.

"Wh-What are you talking about?"

"She may have not been able to piece together what happened there, but I can! Her old village? Out of all places, you had to take them there?!"

"I-It wasn't my doing. She wanted it-," Eris said in a frightened and choked voice.

"She?!"

"L-Lucille!"

His grip on her throat grew tighter to the point she couldn't breathe and if he had his way, he would have killed her, but Ciel ordered, "Sebastian, enough!"

"I don't think that would be wise, my lord. She is a traitor. As far as we know, she might have already led her straight into the hands of that demon and forcing us into a never-ending search," Sebastian said angrily. None of them had ever seen him this mad and it was truly terrifying.

"I-I-I'm sure they will be able to handle themselves-," Ciel said, but was soon interrupted.

"I-I came to you so you would save them from her!" Eris said with her last breath.

"Sebastian, we don't have time for this. If Lucille is really on their track, then we should get moving as soon as possible!" Ciel yelled. "Besides, I'm sure there is a reason why she led them there."

Sebastian was reluctant, but he eventually let her go so she could catch her breath on the ground. "Once this is all over, I never want to see your face ever again."

"Dearly noted," she said as she finally managed the strength to get up. "But luckily for us, he knows exactly where she is."

"Yes, but if we don't hurry, I'm afraid something bad might happen."

* * *

Adrian, Annabeth, and Lilliana were walking back to the village, hoping to reunite with Eris and Michael and get the hell out of this place, but they ran so deep into the forest that it would be a while before they got back out. In fact, half the day was already gone and soon, they would have to find a place to rest. "I just hope that the carriage will be fixed by the time we get back," Lilliana said, still shaken up by what she saw. "It should be fixed after all this time."

"But where do we go after that?" Annabeth asked worriedly.

"I'm sure they won't expect us to return to Paris," Adrian said, surprising them both. "We can convince Eris to take us back since the others will be expecting us to run far away."

"That is true. Plus, I would still like that tour around Paris," Annabeth said, trying to bring a smile to everyone's face. While Adrian laughed along with her, Lilliana only expressed a small smile that soon faded.

"Well, we need to get to Eris if we want to return. I'm sure she will understand our reasoning," he said with a smile.

"That won't be necessary," a voice said. The three of them looked all over for the source of the voice, but Lilliana pulled out her Death Scythe, knowing exactly who it was. "In fact, you three won't be going anywhere," she said as a gulf of blue flames appeared in front of them and soon, it revealed Lucille, wearing a black blouse that didn't cover her shoulders, revealing the katana tattoo on her arm and shoulder, and tight fitting pants with long heeled boots and fire whips in both of her hand.

"You damn bitch," Lilliana said as she tried to strike her with her Death Scythe, but Lucille managed to dodge her attack and latch her whip around Lilliana's wrist. She screamed in pain since her slit wrist was still recovering, but was soon thrown to the ground hard.

"Lilliana!" both Adrian and Annabeth yelled as she rushed to her side while he pulled out his Death Scythe.

"Did you honestly think that you had the strength to fight me after everything you've been through?" Lucille said before laughing. "You truly are pathetic, Lily."

"Don't you dare call me that," she said as she tried to strike her again, but the pain throughout her body prevented her.

"Lilliana, you and Annabeth have to run," Adrian said as he positioned himself into a fighting stance, making Lucille chuckle.

"L-Let me help you," Lilliana said as she tried to get up, but couldn't find the strength and fell to the ground.

"You're too weak to fight. Let me fight her."

"We're not going to leave you—," Annabeth tried to say before she was interrupted.

"I don't want any of you to be harmed so please, go," he said as he looked back at her and Lilliana. "I will be fine, I promise. I would never let anything happen to any of you."Annabeth's eyes began to water before she quickly helped Lilliana to her feet and started running away with her.

"You really are protective of that doll. You know you can make another like her, right?" Lucille asked, but received no response. However, she noticed a little too late that Adrian took the first strike against her and although she managed to dodge his attack, she did not do as unscathed as she felt blood drip down her cheek. "Well, I underestimated your abilities, old man."

"You tend to do that, Ms. Mirasuka. That might explain why you have the nerve to try and go against your father with this mission."

"You shut your mouth, Reaper. This is my only chance to prove to my father that I am more than just a child. If I claim this soul, I will have he something he never had."

"And you think you will get away with that? He might kill you out of jealousy," he said in a cocky tone that made her blood boil.

"But he still will always be the _second_ person to have tasted a reanimated soul," she said as she swung her fire whips, but they didn't even come close to hitting him.

"Oh, so you thought I wouldn't be a skilled fighter the older I get? Well, hate to break it to you, but age means experience," he said from behind her as he tried to swing at close range, but she jumped out of the way in time minus a cut on her blouse. "You're still so young, so you don't know all the hidden secrets of fighting."

She gritted her teeth as she said, "I may be young, but I know more about fighting than most demons," she said as she made her fire whip grow to an enormous size yet again. "Plus, I'm not going to let a Reaper like you stop me." She tried to strike him with both her small and enormous fire whips, but he narrowly missed each continuous attack. She started to get frustrated and he knew it based off her sloppy attacks. This gave him the opportunity to strike her, but before his Death Scythe could hit her, she disappeared into blue flames. He looked diligently in case she tried to do a sneak attack, but heard her say, "Aren't you supposed to be blind as a bat without your spectacles?"

He chuckled before saying, "You can thank you father for my perfect vision."

"Well, you won't have it for much longer," she said as she appeared midair behind him, but he blocked her attack with his Death Scythe. However, he was surprised when he heard a clashing metal sound. When he turned to look at her, he saw that she had a katana in her hand and her tattoo seemed to disappear. "I'm not going to have a filthy Reaper ruin my plan I worked so hard to achieve."

Adrian's eyes widened at a realization. "Let me guess, it was you who killed Mary Welch in the first place," he said, finally piecing things together.

She smirked as she said, "Well, a Reaper would collect any soul killed by any other method. Plus, words gets around that a Rogue Reaper brought souls back from the dead, so I had to see for myself. Most people thought it was Lilliana, but I know damn well she wouldn't defy the Reaper Law, but luckily, a good number of us know about the infamous Adrian Crevan. So yes, I killed her and made sure she would arrive at your shop."

"And you were hoping I would reanimate her."

"And to my surprise, you actually did. I thought that the failure on that ship would stop you, but you needed to have one success. Now, I did plan on taking her soul when Lord Montague kidnapped her, but that didn't work out, did it? Thanks to you, I had to delay my plan even further. Do you know how hard it is to keep a corpse useful? Despite possessing her body before, Clarice Jinule didn't last very long and I couldn't just roam around with Lilliana lurking. That would complicate things more. So, I had to find other methods. Luckily, I happened to meet Alexander Maxwell and in exchange for his soul, I would give him Mary Welch. So I did just that."

"You evil minx. You had to bring back the most painful parts of her past just to get what you want. And not only that, but you cheated each of your pawns."

"Well, they are pawns, so why should I treat them with any care? All Alex ever wanted was to be reunited with Mary, even before he married his supposed dear Abigail that he was more than willing to have me kill. Unfortunately, he should know that making deals with demons are complicated because he got exactly what he wanted, but you know what happened to him. However, those damn Reapers and Lilliana got in the way, so I had to use my last resort."

"The contract," he said under his breath, but she still heard him.

"Oh, you know about that? I'm sure you were furious to know she was hiding that. Tell me, how angry were you? Be honest," she said in her usual smugness.

"I'm not pleased, but I know that she would have never accepted such a contract of her own free will," he said as he tried to strike her, but she disappeared in flames again.

"And that's why I forced the contract on her. I delivered my end on the bargain, so she must complete it in order to remove the mark," her voice said, but there was no clear direction where it was coming from.

"Or she could kill you," he said, carefully looking around for her.

"At her current condition? I would kill her before she had the chance. And besides, you can't kill me either, Crevan," she said before reappearing nearby.

"And what makes you so confident?"

"Because you could never hurt your dear Annabeth," she said as she snapped her fingers. Soon, all Adrian could see was darkness, not even a nearby tree was visible. He still diligently looked for Lucille, but with the darkness surrounding him, he was uncertain he could be able to see her even if she was in front of him.

"Adrian?" a familiar sweet voice echoed. His breath hitched as he heard her voice and frantically looked all over for her.

"Annabeth! Where are you? I thought I told you to run!" he yelled out, but he still couldn't find her.

"I couldn't let you fight her alone. I want to help," she said as she appeared from blue flames.

"You need to leave! It's too dangerous for you."

"Let me help, Adrian," she said, but her voice changed. Soon, he saw the fire whips in her hand and she began to strike him, wrapping them around his arm. He winced in pain as the fire burned through his robe to his skin, but soon, the other whip wrapped around his other arm, forcing him to drop his Death Scythe.

"Annabeth, what is going on?" he said with pain in his voice, both physical and emotional. He knew this wasn't actually Annabeth doing it, but it seemed so real to him that it might as well have been.

"Aw, look at you. You can't see past a vision even when it's so obvious, well then," she said in both Annabeth's and Lucille's voices as she pulled out the katana. "You put so much time and effort on a doll. Why? You can make another one just as effortlessly. Plus, I'm sure you can eliminate any issues you have with the prototype."

"There won't ever be another doll. You are perfect as you are, Annabeth, and I would never ever replace you," Adrian said as tears started falling down his cheeks.

She laughed hysterically. "Oh, this is quite the sight! I've never seen a Grim Reaper actually cry before! This is hilarious." After a while, she regained her composure as she continued, "I might as well put you out of your misery. I hoped to bargain her soul for a final wish and your death would make the perfect reason," she said as she was about to strike, but before she could land a hit, a random green demon sword struck her shoulder, causing a lot of blood to gush out.

"Annabeth!" Adrian called out in worry, but soon, his vision seemed to fade as the light entered his eyes and he could see Annabeth for who she really was.

"Dammit," Lucille said under her breath as she made the fire whips disappear and quickly picked up her katana before another attack could occur. From the distance, they saw a man wearing a nobleman outfit, but it was clear he wasn't one. He had blonde hair and red eyes, but what surprised Adrian was the resemblance he had to Lilliana. It wouldn't have been clear to the naked eye, but something about him reminded him of her.

"How dare you hurt my little sister, Lucille?!" the stranger said as he picked up his demon sword and swung the blood off of the blade.

"Bastille Kilia. I'm surprised to see you here," she tried to say seductively, but was clearly in pain and fearful of him.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right here?! You made a contract with her! We both know there's one way to remove it."

"Well, I seem to be at a disadvantage," she said before jumping up a tree a few yards away from them. "However, the war isn't over. Make no mistake of it, I will claim that soul. Also, thank you Adrian for making my life easier by sending Lilliana with her. You don't know about my little trick."

"No, she didn't," Bastille said, but he soon saw blood drip onto her mark, making it glow.

"You didn't think I wouldn't put some security on my property, did you? Tata for now," she said as she laughed maniacally while disappearing into flames.

"That damn bitch! I swear that if I find her, I'm going to kill her! Make no mistake about that!" Bastille said as he punched a tree, managing to uproot it and send some branches flying yards away from them.

"You might as well bring me with you. She has something of mine that I won't let her devour," Adrian said as he got up and grabbed his Death Scythe. It was clear that he was still in pain, but was fighting through it.

"Look, Reaper, I have no intention of helping you, but the enemy of my enemy is also my friend. That's how the saying goes, right?" However, Bastille noticed a few knives headed his way and dodged them so they could hit a nearby tree.

"My apologies. I seemed to have missed my target," Sebastian's voice said from the distance. Bastille's eyes slanted at the sight of the demon and had his demon sword out, ready for an attack.

"Michaelis. I should have known you would be here."

"Well, I'm surprised to see you roaming this area."

"Did you forget that I marked her as well? The Branding Incantation is a bit harsh, but it's the only way to watch over her. Besides, when I learned that she was in France, I had to make sure she avoided this place, but it was too late."

"Well isn't this a nice surprise," Ciel said as he managed to catch up with Sebastian. "What is he doing here?"

"He marked her as well, my lord, so he too knows where Lilliana is and tried to save her. However, I'm sure he knows that he's not welcomed in our presence and we have everything under control."

"Under control?! She is being controlled by another demon and you have the nerve to tell me that you have everything under control?! Now neither of us can bring her to her senses. Could anything else go wrong?!" Bastille asked angrily.

"Do I hear the hunky voice of a demon?" Grell said as he, William, and Eris finally caught up to them. "Oh my stars! Hiiiiiiiii Bastille darling~"

"This mortal world never ceases to surprise me," Bastille said in annoyance as he kept the demon sword close and ready for an attack.

"It has been so long since we last spoke! You still haven't paid your half of our bargain," Grell said as he got his chainsaw ready in case he wanted to paint some handsome men red with blood.

"I beg your pardon?" William asked in disbelief, but Grell ignored him.

"Get the ( _censored_ ) away from me, Reaper, before I tear you to pieces," Bastille said as he gritted his teeth.

"Oo, such chilling words! And those death-enticing eyes can make any woman tremble," Grell said as he hugged himself. "But I'm afraid I'll be the only one who will be painting my lovers a nice shade of blood red," he said as he revved up his chainsaw.

"We'll see about that. Killing the people who chained my sister to her misery will be a very rewarding experience."

"Sister?" William asked in confusion.

"William, don't you recognize him? That's Lilliana's brother," Grell explained as he tried to swing lovingly at the demon, but he missed. Sebastian tried throwing knives and forks at him as well, but Bastille managed to block them with his demon sword. They continued this little exchange as Adrian, Eris, Ciel, and William watched with slight worry, but not because of the safety of the fighters. They might have continued their battle until only one was left alive if they weren't interrupted.

"Enough of this!" William yelled, surprising everyone. He was usually calm and collected and would rarely raise his voice, even to the people who annoyed him most, but this was a very rare situation that they have found themselves into. Even Bastille and Sebastian stopped their fighting to listen to him. "We don't have time to fight with every demon we come across. Now that we found Adrian Crevan, we can take him back into our custody."

"But what about his doll?" Grell asked while still ogling the demons before him.

"I'm sure Lilliana has possession of her if she is not with him. I'm sure she'll hand her over willingly once-,"

"I'm afraid she won't be following her own will if you encountered her," Eris said with worry in her voice as she walked close to Adrian, trying to protect the few friends she has.

"Eris, what are you doing here with them?" Adrian asked, but before she could respond, she was interrupted.

"I'm afraid your friend was leading us straight to you three so we could capture you and bring Lilliana back home," Ciel said. "Shows that you can't trust a demon unless you promise something very precious to them."

Adrian looked at her in disbelief and she had no way of explaining herself without embarrassing herself. However, she and everyone else were surprised when she heard Adrian say, "You were trying to protect me and Annabeth."

"O-Oui," she said weakly. "I figured you would be a lot safer in Reaper custody then you would ever be in the moral world where Lucille could find you."

"However, this backstabber has a third party she is working for and if I wasn't ordered not to by my master, I would have killed her," Sebastian said.

Adrian looked at her confused and she sighed. "Lucille asked me to guide her to Annabeth without using her mark on Lilliana and trick you three into drinking black rose water."

"You did what?!" he said in shock.

"Let me explain, s'il vous plait," she begged. "I wouldn't have accepted it if I wasn't desperate."

"Desperate?"

She was quiet before she confessed, "I did this all for Damien. Despite his age, he hasn't shown any demonic potential that Lucifer would find worthy. I've tried everything to help him, even revealing my true nature, but he doesn't believe that he possesses a demon soul thanks to Christian corruption. I'm afraid he will never be a demon again and out of desperation, I accepted her mission with the promise that she would help Damien reach his potential."

"How could you trust her? You know she will find loopholes in every deal," Bastille said in anger. There isn't a demon alive that didn't either fear or hate her.

"If Lilliana was in his position, wouldn't you do the exact same thing?" Eris asked. Bastille grew quiet and Eris continued, "But I did not accept it blindly. I knew what she wanted from the start and I know there is one sure way to stop her."

"That's why you came to us-," William tried to finish, but was cut off.

"No, stupid Reaper, she's talking about a power even more powerful," Bastille said. "He won't allow her to taste a unique soul before him."

"I have already with met him and he said he will be there shortly. That bitch deserves everything that is coming to her."

"I couldn't agree more," Sebastian and Bastille said in unison. They looked at each other for a second, before turning away in anger.

"So, if you don't mind, I am going to help Adrian reunite with his doll."

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that. He is under Reaper custody," William said.

However, Eris laughed. "I can see into all your memories and I know for a fact that you shouldn't try to stop Adrian when he has a goal worth fighting for. If you don't believe me, you could ask Sebastian and Grell."

William looked at the two of them and they looked a bit uncomfortable at the statement until Grell broke the silence. "Sh-She does have a point there."

"Besides, you should never _ever_ stop a person whose love is in danger. I know your kind believes that Reapers don't fall in love, but you do," she said as she looked at Adrian and her right eye turned blue-green. "But his love is something I haven't seen in a very long time. It's a love that he is willing to risk his freedom for; a love even worthy of risking his life for. If that isn't like the love I've heard only in stories, then I don't know what is." She looked at William and her right eye turned green. "And don't act like none of you have strong feelings to either one person or," she said a she looked at Grell and her eyes turned red and green, "multiple people."

"What has that got to do with anything?" Bastille said, but when Eris turned to see him, her eye turned back to purple.

"Huh, strange. Not even a hint of desire. That's rare, even from our kind."

"Demons shouldn't feel strong emotions for-," he tried to say, but stopped talking when Eris gave him a disapproving look, especially when she looked at Sebastian and her right eye turned green and then back at Bastille.

"Your only desire is to keep your sister safe. That's their desire as well."

"Wait, _they_?!"

"Getting back on track, we need to find Annabeth and Lilliana before Lucille gets to them. Even if Lucifer is on his way, I'm not sure he'll be in time," Adrian said.

"I agree, so let's go before it's too late," Eris said as she walked beside him.

"Well, you're not going to get very far without a demon to track her down," Bastille said as he removed his glove with his teeth to show the mark on his right hand.

"I think I should be the one to track her. Your mark will only cause her pain," Sebastian said as did the same.

"Oo, I love it when they do that," Grell said as he got close to Will, which made him sigh.

"It's better than having her mind filled with perverted thoughts!"

"Enough bickering!" Ciel yelled. "Sebastian, use your mark to find her. Who knows if Bastille will even lead us to her?"

"Yes, my lord," he said as the Mark of the Covenant began to glow.

"You really think I would try to lose you guys? Honestly, not the worst idea," Bastille said.

Soon, Sebastian knew where she was and said, "All right, follow me."

"Wait," William said. They all looked at the two Reapers as he continued, "We shall aid in this mission if we can arrest both Adrian and Annabeth afterwards and bring Lilliana back to our realm so she can recover from her injuries."

"I will willingly return as long as I know they're safe," Adrian said. Soon, the group followed Sebastian to what they assumed to be the final encounter.


	21. Their Final Battle

Annabeth and Lilliana kept running as far as they could away from the battle. Despite the protest and the urge to help Adrian fight against Lucille, they knew they have to keep going in order to truly escape from her. Lilliana had faith that he would be fine and could potentially kill Lucille, but Annabeth was worried sick. How else could she feel? She had never seen Adrian in combat, so she wouldn't know how strong he truly was. Then again, she never saw Lucille's true power either. She only saw glimpses in the jewelry shop when she fought Grell. Even Lilliana has never seen Lucille at her most powerful; only rumors and horror stories from demons who have witnessed such raw power.

However, Annabeth stopped to take many deep breaths and looked as if she was going to collapse on the ground any minute. Lilliana stopped in her tracks to make sure she was all right, but she knew they had to keep moving. "I-I can't keep going. I'm . . . I just can't," Annabeth said in between breaths. "I'm at . . . my limit."

"That was barely a run," Lilliana said before realizing something. "I forget that humans have a weaker stamina. I'm just so used to humans who exceed normal human standards or deities."

"I-I'm sorry . . . to disappoint," Annabeth said as she sat beside a tree. There was no point in fighting her fatigue. "I'm surprised . . . you have the strength."

"Well, I'm a Grim Reaper. It should be obvious that-,"

"But you've been through so much! From Lucille to the village to . . . well, you know, but yet, you keep fighting and protecting us."

"Well, of course I would. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you two are safe and happy."

"But why? You keep saying that you and Adrian are dear friends, but based on everything we've been through, I feel like there is so much more than that . . . ,"

Lilliana looked at her with surprise. "You're not suggesting that he and I . . . ?" Annabeth looked away, giving her a clear answer. "Where is this coming from all of the sudden?"

"So you're not denying it?"

"That's not what I'm saying," she said in annoyance and with a sigh. She soon sat next to her and said, "I would have saved this for a more appropriate time, but since you need time to rest, I might as well tell you. Undertaker . . . he has done so much more for me than you could possibly understand. He saved my life. Without his help, who knows where I would be today, or even if I would be _alive_ today. I owe him my life."

"Really? What could he have done worthy of such a debt?"

Lilliana looked up at the dusk sky and continued. "Years ago, the Reaper Association had me in captivity because I was not a 'regular Reaper' and had me undergo horrific torture to change me from a demon-like creature to their puppet. I can't even begin to describe the horrors I have endured, but they somehow changed me to exactly what they wanted. Well, not exactly. My one chance to show off their hard work failed miserably and they almost gave up on me. That was until Undertaker took a chance on me. He was the only person who showed me kindness in a painful world and eventually, he molded me into the person you see before you." She looked at Annabeth as she said, "And knowing that I was taught that neither demons nor Grim Reapers can fall in love, you really think that he and I were together at some point?"

"Well, it doesn't hurt to ask," Annabeth said with relief in her eyes.

Lilliana smiled. "We may be Rogue Reapers, but we're not that much different from the rest. Though, I have questioned how much different we are when Undertaker is so desperately in love with you."

Annabeth blushed as she said, "Well, you and Sebastian seem to love each other."

"I've told you that-," she tried to say, but decided to not finish her sentence. "It's not like that, ok?"

"How so?"

"Well, demons can mate with other demons or humans, but even that high level of mutual connection does not equate to what you humans call love. Consider it a business deal rather than a marriage. In the Shinigami Realm, even dating is taboo since no one ever seems to have such emotions."

"Though, I could argue Grell might be the exception."

Lilliana laughed followed by Annabeth. "I'm not sure if it's out of love or lust that he pursues Sebastian and William, but yeah, you could argue that."

"But how do YOU feel about Sebastian?"

"It's just an attraction, like I said many times before. I'm sure he feels the same way. We just fulfill each other's sexual desires and move on with our lives."

"But you two act like a loving couple. When you were injured, he was so worried about you. He tried to hide it, but it was clear a day."

Lilliana looked at her, almost touched by her words. "He was?"

"Of course. Have you ever considered that maybe you two have repressed feelings for each other?"

"Annabeth, there is nothing between-," she tried to say, but stopped suddenly as her eyes inexplicably began to change from green to red. Even her expression changed from worry to . . . calculating.

"L-Lilliana, are you all right?" Annabeth asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm all right. I just . . . smell some blood around us. I guess a fox must have hunted a rabbit or something," she lied as she got up quickly, almost as if her injuries vanished. "I think we've rested long enough. We should get going."

"I guess you're right," she said as she got up, but Lilliana started to act weird again. She let out a couple of quiet moans and subtle lewd faces as she hugged herself tightly. "Lilliana!"she cried out as she noticed this time that the mark on her wrist began to glow along with a glow on her chest and lower back through her shirt. "What's going on?"

After a while, she seemed to regain herself and said as calmly as she could, "Sebastian tried to track me with his mark. We should find a safe place for us to meet with them. Undertaker could be with him."

"Sebastian is here?" Annabeth asked in shock.

"Yes and if we can find him, he can help us hide from Lucille. Now, let's get moving."

* * *

Lucille waited impatiently at the edge of the woods, farthest from the village. She didn't want anyone to interfere what she viewed to be a guaranteed victory. She planned on Lilliana bringing Annabeth, devouring her soul, and then quickly leaving before Adrian and Bastille can find her. She was not expecting to have to deal with Lucifer's adopted son, who she hated more than her actual brothers. All that bastard did was kill a demon when he was a human and yet, he has received more respect out of her father than he ever gave her. Even Lilliana received more respect than her and she was a Grim Reaper with demonic potential. That's the main reason for this quest. She could only imagine what her father's face would be like when she told him out of spite. She was even willing to risk her life just to prove something to him. "Where the hell is she? I hoped to get this done and over with as quickly as possible," she said under her breath.

"Oh, but isn't it always more fun when things don't fall according to plan," a baritone voice said from behind her, a voice all too familiar to her.

"Father?! What are you doing here?!" she asked in shock as she saw Lucifer approach her.

He grinned as he said in a cocky tone, "Well, when I heard my one and only daughter was hatching a scheme behind my back, I had to see what she was doing. Between Sebastian and Eris, you have made quite the ruckus."

"Eris? That little rat! When I find her, I'll make sure she's exterminated," she said angrily.

"You will do no such thing. She is a good rat and depending what happens here, she will be rewarded for her loyalty."

"We'll see about that," she said before they heard rustling sounds heading their way. In no time, they saw Lilliana and Annabeth reaching the edge of the woods, but Annabeth tried running back as soon as she saw Lucille.

"No, it's all right, Annabeth. It's all part of the plan," Lilliana said as she grabbed her and dragged her to the demonic duo.

"Are you crazy, it's . . . You're under her control! That's what happened earlier. Snap out of it, Lilliana!"

"Lily, it's been a long time since I last saw you," Lucifer said with a genuine smile, but was shocked to see her not only ignore him, but actually dragged the human right to Lucille with no hesitation. "Lily?"

"Thank you for all your help, dearie," Lucille said as she created a blue fire cage around Annabeth so she couldn't escape. She tried to grab the bars, but it was too hot to touch. "Now, how about you stay there and make sure no _further_ intruders arrive."

"Certainly," Lilliana said as she pulled out her Death Scythe and positioned herself, ready for a fight.

"You're using your soul magic, aren't you?" Lucifer said to Lucille. "She would never be so obedient, especially to you."

"Well, I have to do what I can to get what I want," Lucille said as she tried to approach Annabeth, but was stopped.

"Release her right now."

"Are you serious? You know how she will react when she's-,"

"I said release her," he said demandingly. Lucille sighed, but did as she was told. With a snap of her fingers, she released Lilliana from her trance as her eyes turned back green.

"What the hell? Where am I?" she asked herself before noticing Annabeth in the fire cage. "Annabeth!" She tried running to her, but another fire cage surrounded her before she could reach her. "Lucille, I swear, I will ( _censored_ ) kill you! You had to go so low as to use your stupid soul magic to get something so easy done!"

"And this is exactly what I tried to avoid," Lucille said in an annoyed tone to her father. "Happy?"

"Very."

"Lucifer?" Lilliana said, grabbing his attention. "Tell your daughter to stop this! She doesn't know what she's doing."

"It's nice to see you too, Lily," he said sarcastically, but soon continued in a serious tone. "And despite what your Association thinks, this is only natural for us. I admire you greatly, but you're not going to win this time."

"Please let me go!" Annabeth begged.

"I'm sorry, dearie, but I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, your soul is very unique to us demons. No one has ever had the soul of a human brought back from the dead before, not even Lucifer himself. We are all curious to know how it tastes."

"But why must you go after me?! Someone else must know how to do that!"

"That's not true. Only your precious Adrian knew the secret technique, but he fought so hard to selfishly hide you from the world. And now, you foolishly loved a man who could never love you back," Lucille said in a feign sad tone.

"But he does love me! He loves me so much that he would protect me from the likes of you."

"Aw, but I'm afraid he didn't love you that much. After all, I'm the one standing before you and not that Reaper. In fact, he will never be able to hold you ever again."

"You're not saying that he . . . ," Annabeth said, holding back tears.

"I'm afraid so. Your dear Adrian is dead."

"No! It's not true! I won't believe it," Annabeth yelled, but she could feel her heart breaking. She didn't want to believe it, but she couldn't hide the tears falling down her cheeks.

"No matter how much you fight it, you know it's the truth, but I know how to make the pain go away. All I need is your soul."

"Don't do it, Annabeth! She's lying. Undertaker is too strong to be defeated by this bitch!" Lilliana yelled.

"Undertaker?" Lucifer asked under his breath. That name sounded familiar.

"Ugh, I don't have time for this," Lucille said as she snapped her fingers, putting Annabeth into a trance. She stared out into nothing, but her eyes showed immense pain and more tears began to run down her cheek. "By the end of that vision, she will be more than willing to offer her soul."

"Who is the Grim Reaper that this human belongs to?"

"Does it matter? The vision shouldn't take long to convince her and soon, her soul will be mine."

"You mean, _mine_ ," Lucifer corrected.

"No, I'm not going to allow you to take the soul I have worked so damn hard to cultivate. What have you done to earn it?"

"I don't need to do anything. As the ruler of Hell, I have to be the first person to try all types of souls, including this one."

"Ugh, I hate that about you, besides everything else! Just because you're the ruler doesn't mean you can get things for free! This one is mine and you can do nothing about it!"

"Be careful, Lucy. You know what happened to the brothers who dared defied me by withholding souls from me," he said in a slightly threatening tone.

"I'd like to see you try."

Not too far from the scene, Adrian, William, Grell, Bastille, and Sebastian observed closely to find a perfect opportunity to rescue them. They found it best that Ciel would stay in Eris's care until the battle was over, just in case for collateral damage. Knowing Lucille, she would use Ciel against Sebastian, like Adrian did on the Campania. However, the demons and Adrian were were relieved to see a certain someone there. The Reapers, not so much. "I'm glad Eris wasn't lying about telling Lucifer about this," Bastille said.

"But they're still going to take her soul, aren't they? What kind of help will he be?" Grell asked, impatient for the cue to attack.

"He is actually more helpful than you think. Knowing him, he won't allow Lucy to take her soul before him. It will buy us some time to ambush them and rescue Lilliana and Annabeth. Besides, we don't need to fight them. Let me handle this-," Adrian tried to explain before he was interrupted.

"No offense, old man, but the last time you battled Lucille, you nearly lost. Besides, your stupid doll isn't the only reason why we're fighting," Bastille said as he looked at Lilliana, who was helpless against the flame cage. "Those blue fires of hers are unique. Only the natural children of Lucifer can use them. If she wills it, it can only harm the person she wants and leave everything around it unharmed. It will be impossible for them to escape unless she wills them away. In other words-,"

"We have to distract her concentration, which is not an easy task," Sebastian said.

"But can't Lucifer use those flames as well? Even if we distract her, what stops him?" William asked.

"Lilliana," Bastille answered. "He sees us as one of his children. He would never harm us unless he absolutely had to."

"No wonder she was messed up when we first reconditioned her. She was under the influence of the Daddy of Demons himself," Grell said.

"But he'll try to cage Annabeth if Lucille is distracted. Maybe even all of us, so we mustn't let our guard down either," Sebastian said before noticing that the two demons arguing about who will get the soul.

"I'll be honest here, I'm a bit afraid of confronting Lucifer," Bastille said genuinely.

"Likewise, but we cannot let that stop us."

They waited patiently, but soon, the argument turned intense to the point that Lucille threw fireballs at her father, but he dodged them effortlessly. She was growing more and more angry as she tried using every type of flame she could to kill him, but nothing seemed to work. This proved to be a perfect opportunity to strike since Adrian, Bastille, Sebastian, William, and Grell joined in on the fight. However, it wasn't as perfect as they thought as a fireball that was meant for Lucifer was heading their way, intentionally.

"They really thought they were trying to be sneaky?" Lucille said as she started to throw fire spears at them, but luckily, they dodged in time.

"Let me at her! She's not getting away with burning my beautiful locks," Grell said as he revved up his chainsaw and swung at her, but she dodged his attack and summoned fire whips to attack him, but he learned his lesson after the last two encounters with her. "Nice try, honey."

"Don't get full of yourself, Sutcliff," William said as he stayed his distance to try to stab Lucille with his pruner Death Scythe, but she dodged that and another swing from the chainsaw.

"Just my luck," she said before touching his Death Scythe, quickly sending a flame up the shaft to the handle, burning William's hand. He quickly let it go, waiting for the flames to die down.

"William! Grell! For once, I'm glad to see you," Lilliana said, but was still stuck in the cage. "You need to get a good hit on her for you to release me and Annabeth."

"Working on it," William said, relieved to see her safe, or as safe as she could be for now, and actually happy for their arrival. It made him smile a bit.

"Why don't you use your flames to trap them?" Lucifer said as he tried throwing fireballs at the defenseless William and sometimes the rest of the fighters who were all after her daughter.

"A little busy at the moment," she said as she dodged a wave of silverware from Sebastian. "Why don't _you_ use them?"

"Because . . . I didn't want to argue with my daughter anymore," he said with a laugh. She gritted her teeth at his enjoyment as she had to defend herself against practically everyone. Her father "helped" so little. It took all her willpower to keep the cages up. However, that soon was thwarted as Bastille landed a hard kick in her stomach, causing the cages to finally disappear. Sebastian and Bastille quickly ran to Lilliana and she was surprised.

"Bastille?! How did you-," Lilliana asked in utter shock.

"There's no time to explain. Let's just get the doll and get the hell out of here," he said as they noticed Adrian running toward Annabeth. She was still in the trance and he knew exactly what was going on.

"Annabeth, wake up. It's just a vision. It's not real," he said as he shook her. It took a while, but eventually, she noticed his presence and embraced and kissed him.

"Adrian! I'm so happy you're alive! I was so afraid," she said with happy tears falling down her cheeks.

"I'm relieved you're safe, but let's hurry and leave."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Lucille said before reaching for the handle of her sword tattoo, but as she pulled, it soon manifested into an actual sword. It looked like it was painful, but she managed to do it with little discomfort. "I've got a demon sword as well, but unlike you low-level demons, I am powerful enough to make it a part of me." They all positioned themselves, for another attack, including William, who finally was able to touch his Death Scythe, and Lilliana and Adrian, who kept Annabeth safely behind them and Death Scythes at hand.

However, when she did attack, it didn't seem to be directed toward any of them. In fact, she ran right to her father and tried to swing down at him. Unfortunately for her, he was fast enough to not only grab the sword out of her hands, but also pierce through her body with only his hand. She fell to the ground in unbelievable pain and started to cough up blood. Everyone was shocked, but they didn't have much time to think about it. "My poor daughter. To think, you had the potential to be something great. A soul like hers can be replicated and yet, you have to use all your effort for this one. Pathetic," he said before suddenly throwing a fireball their way, trying to distract him as he escaped. However, William's Death Scythe pierced his shoulder and soon, Grell ran to strike him, but before he could land a hit, Sebastian quickly came to Lucifer's aid by blocking the chainsaw with his silverware as Bastille tried to remove the Death Scythe from his shoulder.

"My My My, Bassy. As much as I would love to have a passionate battle with you, I'm afraid this is not the time. We can't let a demon that interfered with Reaper business to escape," he said with a grin.

"And it is our duty as demons to protect our ruler," Sebastian said as he pushed Grell back.

"But isn't he going to steal her soul? You should try to kill him before he can."

"She is not our business," Bastille said. Grell tried to strike him, but they were surprised when Lilliana blocked him with her Death Scythe. William and Grell looked in utter disbelief, but she kicked Grell in the stomach, flying him a few feet away from the demons.

"Lilliana, do you realize what you're doing? An act like this could be classified as treason and it could bring you back into rehabilitation," William said as he retracted his Death Scythe, not wanting to hurt Lilliana at any cost.

"I'm sorry, Will, but I'm afraid I can't let you hurt him. He's the closest thing I ever had to a father and I won't allow you to take that away from me and Bastille," she said as she positioned herself for another defensive move along with the other demons. "I'm sorry."

"Adrian, you need to talk some sense into her! She's protecting the very demon that was going to take my soul," Annabeth said frantically, but he calmed her.

"Don't worry, my dear, she's perfectly fine. In fact, I agree with her," he said with a light-hearted smile, confusing her. However, Lucifer finally noticed something familiar about the Reaper that owned the living doll and put the pieces together in his mind.

"I can't believe it. I knew the name 'Undertaker' sounded familiar. It's been a long time, hasn't it, friend?" he said in a jovial tone that confused everyone around them.

"Indeed it has," he said as he guided Annabeth to the fearsome demon king. She was clearly scared to approach him, but reluctantly did so with Adrian's arm wrapped around her. "Don't worry. You're safe with me," he whispered in her ear.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?!" Grell practically yelled, grabbing everyone's attention, but the two older deities laughed.

"I guess you kept our friendship a secret, haven't you, Adrian?" Lucifer said with a grin.

"In my line of work, I had to," he replied with the same grin. "Lucifer, this is the darling love of my immortal life, Annabeth Phoenix. Annabeth, this is my old friend, Lucifer."

Lucifer bowed and kissed her hand as he said, "It is an honor to meet you." However, she was still terrified of him and he patted her head. "It's all right. I'm not going to steal the soul of the woman who has captured my dear friend's heart."

"H-How exactly do you two know each other?" Lilliana asked. The trio almost forgot that the rest of the group was there and even Ciel and Eris magically joined them. Ciel and Sebastian were whispering back and forth with each other while Bastille kept his distance from Eris. William made sure to do the same.

"Believe it or not, a long time ago, I was sent on a recon mission that led me to an encounter the King of Demons himself and had many battles after that. We both had never met someone who was an equal match to our powers, so we liked our little game," Adrian explained.

"Never thought that we would become close friends who enjoyed a good fight once in a while for fun or for show. After all, it wouldn't look good for a Demon King to be friends with a being who has killed my kind in the past," Lucifer said, still keeping his jovial tone despite the last statement. "I even gave him a better eyesight so he was no longer bound by the chains of Reaper glasses just to up the challenge."

"So that's why you can see so clearly without them," William said.

However, Lucifer lost his smile as he walked up to Lucille and asked her in a serious tone, "Did you know that you stole from Adrian Crevan?"

"Yes I did, but how was I supposed to know that you two knew each other?" she said, still in pain and with a large puddle of blood surrounding her. Any human would have died instantly, but to a demon, it was torture.

"You stupid girl! Not only would you have started a bloody war between Reapers and Demons if he used his high power in the Association to get revenge, but I nearly devoured the soul of the one he cherishes! It would have devastated our friendship," he said rather angrily, but he already made her suffer greatly, so there was nothing he could do. "I should kill you right now for your insolence."

"Then why don't you? To you, I'm just like my brothers, maybe even lower than them. All my life, I have tried to prove my worth to you, but I get dirty looks in return by you, my brothers, and even the bottom-feeders. If I really am that worthless, then just kill me, right here, right now."

He sighed as he said, "Darling Lucy, that wouldn't be a punishment, now would it? Why would I give you something that you want to prove a point? All the sons I have killed in the past wanted to live, making death a fitting punishment for them. You, my dear, are different. You have no will to live, making your immortality a punishment and I think that is quite fitting for you." He soon walked away from her and continued to the rest of the group, "I apologize for my daughter's thoughtlessness. I promise to keep a closer eye on her to make sure something like never happens again."

"I appreciate it," Adrian said, holding his Annabeth tightly, making her blush.

"And I hope to see you again, Ms. Phoenix, hopefully on better terms."

"I do hope so," she said, finally warming up to the demon.

Lucifer smiled and was about to leave, but he quickly remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot. Eris, Bastille, Sebastian, come forward." The demons were startled, but nervously walked toward their ruler. "Because of your efforts, you have stopped Lucy from accomplishing her goal and I believe that is worthy of a reward. What would you three want?"

The three of them looked at each other, surprised by the offer. Bastille was the first to ask, "Well, the only reward I would ever want is to bring Lilliana back to us, but I highly doubt even you can do that."

"Unfortunately no," he said as he looked at Lilliana and saw that she was guarded by Grell and William, who had their Death Scythes in hand in case he did try to steal her. "Even if I tried, I would have to deal with the whole Association and even that's a little much for me."

"I thought so," he said in a disappointed tone before walking to his sister. Grell and especially William got ready to fight him, but he raised his hands in defense. "Relax, idiots. I just want to talk to my sister since I haven't seen her in a very long time."

"What about me? We haven't talked since-," Grell tried to say before Lilliana elbowed him in the stomach.

"We won't take long," she said as the two siblings walked a bit away from the scene.

Sebastian watched them closely and Lucifer caught him doing so. "I know I was only joking about you mating with Lily, but you know that-,"

"I have marked her already," Sebastian said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Besides, no need to mate a being who won't be around much longer."

Lucifer was suspired, but laughed. "Ruthless as always, Sebastian. That's what I like about you. Still, I can arrange something to make it easier."

"I have no interest in a reward. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a young master to attend to," he said as he walked to Ciel.

Lucifer only chuckled before turning to Eris. "And I suppose you don't want anything as well?"

"Oh, actually, I-I do. W-With your permission, I would like to mate with one of your sons," she said in a surprisingly shy voice.

"Yes, of course! I do enjoy watching my sons claim a mate. Now, who do you have in mind?" She walked up to him and whispered in her ear, but his smiling face turned into confusion when he heard the name. "Him? You do realize he is a human now, right?" he asked in a shocked tone. She nodded and after a while, the smile returned to his face. "Well, that _is_ impressive. All right, for you, it shall be done." Her face lightened up as she walked away from him. "Well, I should be returning back to the palace before another child dares to defy me. Farewell, everyone," Lucifer said as blue flames began to surround his body until eventually, he disappeared.

"It's always nice to reconnect with old friends," Adrian said and Annabeth giggled. "Let's go, dearie."

"I'm afraid we can't allow that. We had a deal remember?" William said. "We must go back so you can be put on trial."

"No! You can't take him," Annabeth said as she got in between Will and Adrian. "I'll do whatever I can to protect him!"

"Don't worry, Ms. Phoenix, you'll be joining him."

"And be separated from him like last time? No, I won't allow it!"

"Annabeth, it's all right. I promised that nothing bad will happen to you and now that Lucille is defeated, there should be nothing to fear," Adrian said comfortingly.

"B-But the trial; what happens if-,"

"Everything will be all right as long as I know you are safe. I know they won't kill you or me and I will make sure of it," he said as he hugged her from behind. "I give you my word."

"Ah, that's so sad," Grell said as a few tears escaped from his eyes. "Are you sure we _have_ to take them back?"

"Yes. We can't let a criminal continue running free," Will said before feeling a hand on his shoulder. He expected it to be Grell, but was surprised to see Lilliana.

"I know it's against Reaper Law, but look how happy they are. Do you really want to ruin this by having them separated for who knows how long?" she said seriously. It was rare to look so sincere; she was either sarcastic or teasing, but that only proved how much she cared for her mentor.

William sighed, but said, "I guess we could give them a twenty-four hour head start." Everyone looks shocked, but Adrian and Annabeth smiled greatly. "We had a tiring encounter with two powerful demons. I guess I could put in my report that they managed to escape."

"Will, I'm surprised. I never thought you would do something like that," Grell said as he hugged him. "So very generous of you."

"I'm not being generous. It gives us enough time to fill out our reports. Also, I believe we have subdued the demon that has been terrorizing London, so Ms. Vendoa and Lilliana's assignment is complete," he said as he walked away. "We should be off before I change my mind."

"Coming~," Grell said as he followed the stoic Reaper, but noticed that they were missing one more Reaper. "That means you too, Ms. Kiliamo. You need to treat your injuries."

"All right, I'll be there shortly," she said before hugging her brother. "I'm so happy to see you again."

"Likewise, but one of these days, I will find a way to break you out of the Association. You have my word," he said, not wanting to let her go. He was afraid that whenever she was away from him, he would never see her again, mainly because the Reaped Association forbade any interactions between demons and Reapers unless it was absolutely necessary. The last time he saw her, it was during a curry battle or something like that.

"I hope you find a way," she said as quietly as she could to make sure her coworkers didn't hear her. She was about to head back, but remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot. Undertaker, I have something to give back to you," she said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver chain with mourning lockets on it.

His eyes lit up as he saw his treasure. "You three actually took good care of it," he said with a smile.

"Of course. You said it was your treasure," she said as she tried to hand it to him, but he closed her hand, surprising her.

"Thank you, Lily, but I won't be needing it anymore. I already have my treasure right here with me," he said as he kissed Annabeth's cheek, making her blush. "She is all I need in Thai world and the next."

Lilliana still looked shocked, but smiled. "I guess I'll keep it then," she said as she put it back in her pocket. "I hope everything works out for you two. Let's meet again soon, Annabeth and Adrian," she said as she left their side. Even he blushed hearing his own name from her; she had not called him that since he was mentoring her. Ever since then, she wanted to make sure she kept his identity a secret by calling him Undertaker and that just stuck. The two watched as the Reapers seemed to disappear from their sight, no longer afraid of them.

Once they were gone, Bastille looked at Sebastian and Ciel and said, "Well, now that I know my sister is safe, I should get away from this place." He then aimed his demon sword at Sebastian and said, "Just because you were here to save her doesn't mean I have forgotten all the other misdeeds you've done to her. The next time we meet, I intend to kill you."

"I highly doubt you will, but I do look forward to a good fight," he said with a devilish smirk, making Bastille angry a bit, but he soon chuckled before leaving their side.

"I never liked that man," Ciel said randomly, making Sebastian laugh.

"Honestly, he reminds me of Lord Edward Midford when you are around Lady Elizabeth," Sebastian said with a chuckle, making Ciel pout.

"Well, we accomplished our goal. We made sure everyone was safe. Now, Sebastian, if you don't mind, I would like to return home and sleep in my own bed tonight."

"Certainly."

However, Annabeth ran up to Ciel and gave him a hug, making Ciel very uncomfortable. "Hey, what's the big idea-,"

"Thank you for everything you've done," she said in a grateful tone.

"N-No need to thank me. I only provided you means of transportation."

"I mean everything, from giving me a job at the manor to allowing me to escape with the man I love. Thank you!"

"Well, I didn't give you the job out of kindness-," Ciel tried to say, but he was shushed by his butler.

"We are honored by your appreciation for our humblest deeds," Sebastian said with a bow.

"And when you see Lilliana, please tell her thank you for me. She has done so much for us." Annabeth asked.

"Of course."

"I guess, this is goodbye, young lord. I will certainly miss your attempts at making me laugh for information," Adrian said with a laugh, making Ciel a bit angry.

"I hope to find an informant as knowledgeable and cooperative as you for further missions, but at least we won't have to worry about you about you creating more monsters anymore. Come now, Sebastian," Ciel said as he began to leave their side soon followed by Sebastian.

"Do take care," Annabeth said as they left their sight. The two then looked to Eris and she continued, "Now what?"

"We'll return to Paris and I'll set up a meeting with the Parisian Reapers. After that, you two will be free as doves."

"It's about time," Adrian said before kissing his doll. "I told you that I would find a way to free us. I love you Annabeth."

"I love you too, Adrian."

* * *

Grell and William were outside a hospital room, making sure this time that Lilliana would not escape. There was no excuse now; she needed to rest and heal. In the Shinigami Realm, things seemed to be returning back to normal. All the Reapers That we injured were either back to full health or at least healthy enough to work. All property damage had been repaired and they had told everyone that the demon that attacked them was defeated, which relieved everyone. William had filled out the paperwork for his last outing and told Katia the good news. She was currently filling out the paperwork, but wouldn't be able to turn it in until she got Lilliana's signature. Everything seemed to be better than usual. "So, are we going to go and find Adrian again tomorrow? I know we let them go and all, but must we actually try to find them?" Grell said as he powdered his nose.

"We won't, but I'll have some newly hired Reapers look for them," Will said.

"But how are they supposed to know the juicy details that we know?"

"They won't."

"Oooh," Grell said with a smirk. "I don't know if you can tell, but I am really glad that you let them go. You're not as heartless as you act."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing," he said as he kissed Will's cheek, startling him. "I guess there's no reason to stay. I'm supposed to meet with Ronnie at a bar to celebrate the good news. Plus, I'm sure you want your alone time with her, even though I want to keep you all to myself. I'll see you tomorrow, Darling~," he said as he blew him a kiss and left.

William wiped his cheek with his hand and shook it in the air, eliminating any flamboyant germs. Soon, the door opened and out came the doctor. "How is she?" he said as he stood up.

"She is going to need to stay in the hospital for a couple of days, but she will make a full recovery. However, do you think she will need to be restrained?" she said in both a joking and serious tone.

"I see no need for it. There's no reason for her to leave," he said, relieved to hear she will be all right.

"Would you like to see her?"

He was nervous, but said, "Y-Yes, of course." The doctor let him in and he walked in, noticing the doctor closing the door. William gulped as he walked up to her bed, not expecting her to be awake despite all that's happened.

She looked at him and smiled. "I'm surprised to see you here. I thought Katia would be the first to see me."

"She will be here some time today to have you sign the paperwork to close the assignment," he said as he grabbed a chair to sit next to her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I feel like every bone in my body just collapsed once I laid on the bed, but it feels nice to actually rest," she said with a laugh.

"You better not try to escape. They actually are considering restraining you to keep you hear," he said with an unusual smile.

She laughed. "Wouldn't be the first time. Don't worry, now that Lucille is defeated and Undertaker and Annabeth are free, I have no reason to leave other than to serve the young master."

"Right," he said, remembering her second job which he hated, but for more reasons than he realized.

After a moment of silence, she said suddenly, "Thank you, by the way. I know it's against your nature to disobey Reaper Law, but I'm glad you made the exception today."

"I'm not letting them escape. I'm sending new Reapers after them once I put together a file for them."

"But you are not going after them yourself and you and Grell would know better than those idiots," she said as she sat up. Will tried to help her, but she managed to do it on her own. "They might as well be free."

"Still, there is no guarantee they will be free for long."

"But they still are and that's all they need," she said as she gave him a hug. This was a very rare moment for them. Not only is she not an affectionate person, but she was giving a hug to Will, who is not used to hugs other than the red annoyance. Even more shocking was when he wrapped his arms around her to embrace her, making her blush a bit. They soon released and she slumped back into bed.

"Now, you should get some rest. Katia will be here soon and I'm sure she will want to talk to you about everything."

She chuckled. "Yeah, I love that girl for that. She really does love me, you know. I'm starting to doubt everything they taught us about Reaper emotions."

"Honestly, so am I," he said as he got up from his chair and started to head out the room, but was interrupted.

"I wasn't going to ask this, but I might as well know: how did it feel seeing Eris again?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know, Eris, the succubus from the circus. The one who tried to seduce you . . . and succeeded."

"I thought we agreed to not talk about that."

"I know, but we both saw her. You thought I was going to ignore that? Bastille explained to me that she was guiding you, Grell, Sebastian, and Ciel to our location. When I saw her, I wanted to rip her to pieces, but she was helping us flee from Lucille by allowing you two to capture us. Knowing her, she acted flirtatious around you, didn't she?"

"Y-Yes, but she d-didn't try to seduce me," he said nervously, but she laughed. "Ah-What's so funny?"

"You're not a good liar, Will," she said teasingly. "You don't have to tell me what she did, but I still want to kill her the next time I see her."

"Why is that? Didn't she help you?"

"Yeah, but I have my reasons," she said as she yawned and covered herself in the blanket. "Anyway, I'm going to sleep now, so you should head back before Grell gets jealous."

"R-Right. Goodbye for now, Ms. Kiliamo," he said as he left the room and quietly closed the door. He let out a sigh of relief as he started walking back to the office. There was still time to do some paperwork before he had to go home. There was no way he would stay at the office to do overtime tonight. He needed rest after the stressful series of events that happened. Still, he had to admit, he could still feel his heart pounding and he knew why. He didn't want to admit it, especially after all these years, but he really wasn't as emotionless as he wanted to believe he was and seeing how loving Adrian Crevan and Annabeth Phoenix were to each other sparked something inside him. A love like theirs was something he wanted to imitate, but didn't know how. For now, he hoped that the lovebirds would stay free for as long as they can, showing their never ending love to each other from now to eternity.

* * *

 ** _The sorry is not quite over. I am writing one more chapter and then the story will be finished. How do you like it? Favorite moments? Reviews are appreciated._**


	22. Their Happy Ending

So much time has passed since the fateful day they were free from both Lucille's plan and the manhunt by the Reaper Association. Sixty years to be exact. Ever since then, Eris set up a meeting with the Reapers she has seduced over the years to instruct them to protect Adrian and Annabeth at any cost from the London sect, which they were more than happy to do. Adrian even became close friends with these Reapers and would occasionally visit their Shinigami Realm if they ever wanted to have him around. In the human realm, Annabeth and Adrian had been living in a little cottage outside Paris, secluded from the big city in fear that London Reapers on a travel mission would happen to be there. Though, they didn't mind; Annabeth was more than happy to be away as long as she was with her one true love and he felt the same. In fact, their cottage was also their business, which was unsurprisingly a funeral parlor. Some habits never die, do they? Other than a bigger building, it was like they never left the parlor in London.

Some years after they got settled in, they eventually did get married, even inviting the Parisian Reapers, Eris, and Damien, (formally known as Peter, but he became a demon once again). They also invited Lilliana, Ciel, and Sebastian, but only Lilliana could make it and it was a surprise she could knowing how strict the Association was about taking vacations. Still, despite the small wedding, they got married in their parlor of all places and had the reception there too. They couldn't have been any happier since now Annabeth's dream had finally come true. She even learned what happened during the wedding night, but no need to get into details. If anything, let's just say that she was more than satisfied.

And now, sixty years later, Annabeth hadn't aged at all. Being a doll must have stopped the aging process for her, not even a wrinkle on her face. The scars that didn't seem to heal no matter what slowly seemed to vanish and now, unless someone looked very closely, they wouldn't be able to see them. However, one thing hasn't changed: she was always the cheery girl that brought a smile to her macabre mortician. They were deeply in love, through and through.

However, things haven't been the greatest in the last few decades, with the World Wars and all. When news came to them, mainly from Eris and Damien, they were shocked. The whole world, not just a couple of countries, seemed to be fighting the bloodiest battles in history. Machines of mass destruction were everywhere and the death toll was unimaginable. World leaders would rather watch their men get slaughtered then give up the fight. And in the Reaper world, work was at its upmost busiest. The death toll was so high that not only did Reapers have to act as soldiers on the battlefield just to collect the Records, but they recruited hundreds, if not thousands, of Reapers from all over the world just to keep up. They nearly dragged Adrian into the fiasco, but they weaseled their way out of helping. Plus, it wouldn't be safe for them to do so with the high risk of London Reapers being in their area.

However, after many years of fighting and two wars with devastating results, things finally seemed to die down. In fact, it was over; the Allies won! France was in a frenzy, welcoming the soldiers back from the bloody war, families hugging their sons, brothers, fathers, uncles, all the like, and people mourning the ones lost on the battlefield. Adrian was having coffee with a Parisian Reaper when he heard the news and he knew he had to tell his darling wife, who was saddened about the whole war. He paid for their drinks and took a carriage back to their home. Yes, he could have just speed traveled, but he was an old man; he would have been slightly queasy afterwards. Once he reached his home, he exited the carriage and walked to the front door. Before he could even knock, Annabeth quickly opened the door and hugged her husband tightly. "Adrian, did you hear the good news? The War to End All Wars is over!" she said excitedly.

He chuckled as he said, "Yes, I did. I was about to tell you, but I guess you heard. Who told you?"

"No one in particular. I just heard some people cheering when a carriage rolled by and they kept saying the war was over. I'm so relieved! Finally, no more bloodshed!"

"True, but that also menas that business won't be booming as much as it used to be."

"So? It's better to have less people die in this world. Besides, with the boom in customers lately, we have enough money to make ends meet for a while without having to work."

"I guess you're right," he said before he gave her a kiss. "Maybe I should take us out on a vacation instead. I can't remember the last one we had."

She guided him inside as she said, "I don't believe we have left the country at all. We've been everywhere, but never outside France."

"Well, for our next trip, how about we do just that. Though, we may have to wait a few years, when everyone heals from their wounds."

"Yeah, you're right. Besides, I would like to travel to the States. I hear they have a lot of interesting sights for such a young and small country."

"Hehe, plus I know a few friends there. I know a Reaper by the name Katia Vendoa and she used to be part of our Task Force before transferring back. Something about failing a mission or something, but all is well for her."

"Task Force in Paris? I thought they hated Americans-," she asked in confusion, but was interrupted.

"No, I mean back in London. I didn't talk with her much, but I say we are friends. She was in love with Lilliana, but I doubt she still is despite all this time."

"Really? Did she know about her and Sebastian?"

"She did, sadly, but Lilliana flirted with her."

"Well that's not fair, playing with a heart like that. Still, I think she belongs with Sebastian. Despite their repressed emotions, I truly believe they love each other."

"I believe so too. Being demon raised, they will never admit it, even if their lives depended on it, but deep down, I believe they know."

"Speaking of them, I wonder how Ciel and the other servants are doing. I mean, it's been 60 years since we last saw them. I bet old Tanaka is dead by now, but I'm curious about the other servants. Plus, the young lord must have a family and even grandkids by now, wouldn't you think?"

"Who knows. Don't forget he sold his soul to a demon, so once their contract is fulfilled, that's it for his life, no after how short it would be." Annabeth looked at him with a sad face, making Adrian hug her and kiss her on the cheek. "I know you would like to see him grow up, but it happens. There's nothing we can do about it."

"You're right. We have watched human friends die before and we think nothing of it now. It's just how life is."

Adrian picked her up from the ground and sat her on the table, startling her a bit. "But enough about the life and death. Let's just close the shop for a while and we can take a well-deserved break."

"Yeah, that sounds wonderful, actually. I'm sure we can stay in Paris for a bit and-," she was about to say, but they heard a knock on the door. "Funny, I wasn't expecting any guests today."

"Neither was I," Adrian said with suspicion in his voice. Despite being free for decades, he still had a lingering fear of being arrested and taken back to Reaper custody.

"Maybe it's Eris and Damien. They like making suspire visits."

"But I've told them to stop that for our sanity's sake."

"A customer, perhaps?"

"We shall see," he said as he walked to the door slowly, Annabeth not too far behind him. He looked through the peephole and saw a woman in red clothing looking around, waiting for someone to open the door. She wore a red dress with black velvet trim and a hat to match, had long black hair, and was filing her nails. They were short and clean, which was unusual based off of the appearance. He saw a simple wedding ring around her left ring finger. Adrian cautiously opened the door, making sure his eyes were covered by his bangs, and said, "I'm sorry, but we're closed."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought that I could just come inside and chat with some old friends," the woman said as she removed her hat. With a closer look, Adrian soon realized who it was. "Bonjour, Adrian," Lilliana said.

"Lily! It's been so long since we last saw you," he said as he hugged her, but she embraced back, which surprised him.

"Lilliana!" Annabeth said as she joined the hug, almost making everyone lose their balance. They all laughed as they let go of each other. "We were just talking about you."

"Oh really? A bloody war has ended and you thought it would be more interesting to talk about me?" she joked. "May I come in?"

"Of course you can," Adrian said as he guided her inside their home and closed the door behind them and locked it.

Lilliana looked around and said, "It is amazing how much this looks like the old place, except it's a lot roomier."

"Well, we need more space for the business," Annabeth said as she sat on one of the coffins as Adrian walked in the back room to make some tea for them.

"And it's safe to assume that you two have been very busy lately? A lot of civilians have died thanks to this stupid war."

"Yes, but at least we can make them beautiful on the funeral day," Adrian said with a giggle as he entered the room with a tray of tea and biscuits and set them on the front counter. "Not to be rude or anything, but why are you here? I would think that old Willy wouldn't allow you to step foot outside London."

"Well, he's been a lot more . . . _cooperative_ since that day," she said as she sat on another coffin.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink?" Annabeth offered as she walked up to the counter to make herself a cup of tea.

"That won't be necessary. I just ate at a cafe nearby. Not the best, but it'll do for now." They all laughed before she continued, "Its like time hasn't changed for us. Meanwhile, outside these walls, humanity has evolved so much."

"It is quite remarkable, isn't it?" Adrian said

"It sure is, but you and I are used to this. How have you been dealing with immortality, Annabeth?"

"Oh, well, it just seems normal to me. Sure, seeing friends die of old age is saddening, but it's the only life I know," she responded. "I'm just happy that I am immortal because I couldn't imagine being separated from my dear Adrian."

"Even though I would probably keep reanimating you over and over again to prevent that," he said with a laugh.

"Even if my skin was all gross and wrinkly?"

He smiled as he said, "It's not the body that I fell in love with. Young or old, smooth or wrinkled, you would always be my beautiful doll." She blushed bright red and he laughed.

Lilliana smiled as well. "Well, aren't you two just the most adorable couple in existence."

"We're just so in love with each other. I bet you and Sebastian would be the same," Annabeth said. However, Lilliana's smile soon faded at the sound of his name and they noticed. "D-Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you're fine. I-I guess you haven't heard," she said with a regretful tone.

"Heard what?" Annabeth asked in a worried tone. Adrian showed worry as well, but he figured what the answer would be.

Lilliana was silent for a bit, but soon said, "Well, Ciel and Sebastian fulfilled their contract decades ago, even before the first war began. Sadly . . . ." She was fighting tears and it was clear to the couple, but she continued, "Sadly, he couldn't stay. He had to return to Hell and wait for a new master."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear," Annabeth said in a sad tone. "I thought that after the contract was fulfilled, he would be free to do whatever he wanted."

"That's not how it works with contract demons, like him. Although he is a high ranking demon, there are still rules that he must abide by."

"I would have thought he would ask Lucifer for some time off," Adrian said.

"I've never seen that work," Lilliana said with a slight chuckle. "Besides, it would have never worked between us anyway. With the Reaper Association's rule of no demon contact, it would be difficult to keep our relationship a secret."

"Still, you two were such a cute couple," he said said, making her blush. Out of all the people that knew, she never thought he would say that.

"But enough about me. How have you two been since we last saw each other? I don't think I've seen you since your wedding."

"Well, as you know, we are still happy and in love, even after all these years," Annabeth said with a smile as Adrian pulled her close to him.

"I can see that," Lilliana said with a laugh. "I hope this lasts. Another 20 years and you'll be the longest-lasting couple I know."

"We're working on it," Adrian said as he kissed the top of Annabeth's head, making her blush in embarrassment.

"Not in front of Lilliana," she said in a soft voice.

"She's seen a lot worse," he said before giving her a quick kiss, making her blush even more. Lilliana smiled at them and rested her head in her left hand.

Annabeth noticed something shiny on her hand and asked, "Is that a wedding ring I see?"

Lilliana looked at her confused, but she soon remembered the ring on her hand and said, "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about this. William and I are on an undercover mission for a certain collect of souls and we decided to act as a married couple until then."

"That seems unlike him. I would think he would limit his contact with humans as much as possible," William said.

"He usually would, but it's not like we're going to alter their Cinematic Records if we interact with them. And, it's not like it's the first time. In fact, I think he was the one who invented this approach. Besides, if we were forced to stay away from our targets, I would lose my mind out of boredom."

"But also knowing him, I'm surprised he would take on the husband role. Even as undercover, I feel like it would be a very uncomfortable role for him."

"Actually, he was the one who suggested it after he assigned me to the mission."

Annabeth and Adrian looked surprised. "Well, that's shocking."

"Well, I mean, a lot has changed over the decades. I became a full-time Reaper and even became a demon huntress thanks to my immense knowledge of demon behavior and culture. Besides, they were getting tired of always consulting me whenever demon activity was around."

"Oh, congratulations, but isn't that a bit traitorous for you? I mean, you are hunting the people you seemed to care for so deeply," Annabeth said.

"That would be true if I only listened to the Reaper Association, but instead, I made my own rules. Instead of killing without asking questions, I would actually interact with the demon and try to convince them out of whatever wrong doing they're doing. Sometimes I even get Lucifer's permission to kill the bastards."

"That's great and all, but it still surprises me that Willy, the stick-in-the-mud professional, would even encourage you two acting as a married couple," Adrian said before leaning against his counter.

"Well, like I said, times have changed and he and I . . . are . . . ," she said nervously, not wanting to say.

"A couple?" Annabeth finished. Lilliana blushed a bit, but she nodded shyly. "Aw! That's amazingly adorable!" Even though Annabeth was clearly happy, Adrian was speechless. He would have never suspected in a million years that William would let his emotions free and, even more shocking, be in a relationship with Lily. His reputation would be at stake and he always thought that was the reason why he suppressed those early emotions. Even more amazing was how shy Lilliana was about telling them this. She was never shy in the past. Hell, she told him the graphic details of her "nighttime activities" with Sebastian, so why blush now?

"We have been for quite a while. Maybe a few decades," she admitted.

"Oh, you have to tell me everything! Who made the first move? How did you convince him to have a relationship? Have you two kissed? Do people know?" Annabeth bombarded. Lilliana's eyes widened in surprise, but she answered as many questions as she could.

"W-Well, after a few years of trying to get back to the Reaper life, we just started flirting. Eventually, I kissed him and the rest is history,"she said with a bit of blush on her cheek. "And only a few people know for sure we are a couple. Grell being one of them. Trust me, he was not happy when he found out when he saw Will and I kiss in his office."

"Ooo, scandalous," Adrian joked, making Lilliana roll her eyes.

"But he eventually got over it, thankfully. Last thing we needed was controversy surrounding our relationship. As far as I know, we are the only Reaper couple to be subtly open about it."

"Oh, that's so exciting! And after all these years, you two haven't gotten married?" Annabeth asked innocently.

Lilliana arched an eyebrow before asking, "You do remember who you're talking to, right?"

"Well, Adrian and I are married, so I can't see why you two can't."

"You do realize that I agreed to marry you for your sake, not because I believe in the human ritual?" Adrian said as he kissed Annabeth's cheek. "Still, I must admit it was probably the happiest day of my immortal life."

"Besides, this facade will be the closest he and I will be to marriage," Lilliana said before they heard a knock on the door.

"Bonjour! Anyone home?" Eris's voice yelled outside their home.

"Eris! How many times have they told us not to drop by unexpectedly?" Damien said through the door.

"I know, I know, but we're all very close friends, so I like these unexpected visits," she said as she opened the door, but she was surprised to see a "customer" there.

"See, this is why you call beforehand. They're busy with a customer," he said, trying to pull her out of the shop, but Eris made eye contact with the "customer", who looked away very quickly. However it was too late and one eye turned green while another was red.

"O-Oui, you're right, let's j-just wait outside," Eris said in a frightened tone as she tried leaving with Damien, but was stopped.

"Well, since you two are here, you should stay inside," Annabeth said as she went inside the kitchen to get two mor cups for the new guests. "Please, have a seat," she yelled in the other room.

"N-No, r-really, we can wait outside-,"

"We're all friends here, or at least, we should learn to be," Adrian said, directing it both to Eris and Lilliana. He tried looking into Lilliana's eyes to see if she was angry to see Eris, but he couldn't see them, as if to purposely hide her eyes. Eris nodded as she made sure to sit on the coffin furthest away from Lilliana and Damien sat beside her. "How long has it been. Two weeks?"

"Yeah, work has made us very busy demons. You try running a whole cruise ship by yourself," Damien said as Annabeth returned with the cups and quickly poured some tea into them and served it to the guests. "But I guess it's only fair after becoming a demon again. I still can't thank you enough, Eris." She only smiled, but was still obviously nervous. "Oh, I probably shouldn't say that in front of a human."

"No, you're fine, Damien. A Grim Reaper should know a bit on demon culture and news," Lilliana said as she looked at the couple. Luckily for Eris, her eyes were green, meaning, she wasn't angry.

"Oh, it's Lilliana! Haven't seen you since you had to terminate that rouge demon some decades ago. How are you?" Damien asked as he took a sip of the tea.

"I'm fine, but I should probably leave before my boss wonders where I am. You know how they can be," Lilliana said as she set her empty cup to the counter and started to head out, but was stopped.

"You must have gotten to know William. He really likes it when you wear red," Eris said as she nervously sipped her tea. She expected Lilliana to try to kill her for saying that, especially after their history. Even at their wedding, she seemed quite angry to be in her presence. In fact, she threatened her there and that's why she was so nervous now, but to her surprise, she chuckled.

"Yeah, he does, especially when I wear lingerie," she said with a small smile before leaving. Once the door closed behind her, Eris let out a big sigh of relief.

"I was so sure she was going to chop me down with her toy, but she smiled. She actually smiled!" Eris said with utter surprise and joy.

"Well, times have changed," Adrian said as he crossed his arms.

"I can tell," she said as her eyes turned back to purple. "Though, it would have been nice to get a thank you from her for making William see his true desires, but not being killed is good enough."

"I noticed your eye was both red and green. Eris," Annabeth said, "Is that possible?"

"Oh, of course it is. I've had many people have split emotions for people they love. In fact, that redhead Grim Reaper had the exact same desire as she has now."

"So does that mean she loves two people?"

"Well, love and lust are in the same in my eyes, but yes." Annabeth looked at Adrian and he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Did you two hear about the war? It's finally over!" Damien said with glee. "Now we can have more customers on the Lucifer Cruise Liner and not fear about it being bombed."

"Ooo, maybe we should go on it for our vacation," Annabeth said. "It's been forever since we were last on it."

"I don't know," Adrian said. As close as he was to certain demons, he still wasn't that keen on immersing themselves on a cruise ship with nothing but demons.

"You two should. We have the latest technology to keep you entertained and the best food you ever had. If you take the Gluttony ship, you for sure won't stop eating."

"You actually named the boats after the seven deadly sins?" Eris asked.

"Well, of course. After dad put me in charge, I thought it would be fun to have seven ships for seven times the customers. Besides, all of the ships have elements of each sin, but each specialize in one."

"Then how come I don't work on the Lust boat?"

"Because I need you by my side as my mate," he said before biting her neck, making her moan a bit.

"Don't forget your company," Adrian said as a warning. They laughed as they continued to drink from their tea until Damien got up to put more tea in his cup.

"If you're worried if the girl will be corrupted by seeing something naughty, then you need to do a better job in the bedroom," he said with a chuckle before sitting back on the coffin.

"He has no problem there," Annabeth said blatantly, making Adrian blush a bit. She smiled and they all laughed.

"You two are just the cutest couple we have ever met, and that says a lot. Most couples we know either die young and happy or grow old and miserable, but after all these years, you two are just as happy as I met you," Damien said. "It makes me wonder how a Grim Reaper and a human in love, especially a human who is immortal."

"Well, it's a long story, but I'm sure you two are busy getting ready for another ship," Annabeth said as she set her cup on the counter.

"Oh, the ship doesn't board for another three days. We have plenty of time to chat," Eris said as one eye turned green and the other turned blue-green. "I love hearing your story."

"Well, then, I guess if you are willing to listen, then we might as well tell you," Adrian said as he took a bite of his biscuit and swallowed. "It all started the day she was brought I to my shop many years ago."

* * *

 **The story may be over, but the questions remain. How will Annabeth and Adrian's relationship develop in the future? What is to become of Lilliana and William's relationship? Will the happy couple be safe in France forever? So many questions, but only you can answer them.**

 **Thank you so much for reading my story and I hope you enjoyed yourself. If you would like, tell me your answers to those questions and maybe a sequel will be written in the future.**

 **See you then. PhantomGypsy13**


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